LONDON — The U.K. Parliament this week debated proposed amendments to the pending Crime and Policing Bill, including clauses criminalizing “choking” content — and potentially outlawing paying for sex acts in cam performances and custom clips.
MP Tonia Antoniazzi introduced a “commercial sexual exploitation” amendment, which would make it a crime to pay for sex. Antoniazzi told the House of Commons that her goal is “sending a clear message to boys that that is not an acceptable way to treat women and an equally clear message to men who are considering paying for sex that they face prosecution.”
Under the language of the clause, however, “paying for sex” would include scenarios in which one person pays another to touch themself or to engage in sexual activity with a third person. Much like Sweden’s recent ban on purchasing “remote” sexual services, this proposed law could therefore be used to prosecute anyone who tips a cam performer for performing a sexual act, alone or with another performer. It could also apply to anyone who pays for a custom clip that includes sexual acts.
Other proposed amendments would make it illegal to depict “non-fatal strangulation,” commonly called choking, in online content.
“This does not impact what people may wish to do in their private lives, but it does mean that those images would not then be available to be seen in pornographic films,” MP Karen Bradley told the House of Commons, calling choking “a really dangerous act, which should not be promoted in any way.”
MP Caroline Dinenage, who introduced one of the amendments on choking content, added, “We need to send a signal that strangling your partner in bed is not safe — it can be a precursor to coercive, abusive behavior.”
The other amendment criminalizing online choking content was introduced by MP Jessica Asato. XBIZ reported on Asato’s legislative plan earlier this week, after she appeared as a guest on a right-wing talk show.
While neither amendment on choking content was ratified during the session, the Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire, Diana Johnson, stated that the U.K. government supports criminalizing such content.
“There are issues with the drafting for both new clauses, but the government supports their underlying aim,” Johnson said. “Accordingly, I am pleased to say that we will bring forward amendments in the Lords to criminalize pornography depicting strangulation and suffocation.”
A U.K. government statement issued Thursday confirmed that plan, and the government's intent to outlaw such content.
Asato also proposed a clause that would require adult sites to “enable withdrawal of consent at any time” for performers. Under this rule, adult sites and platforms would be required to remove, within 24 hours, any adult content featuring a performer who withdraws their consent, regardless of previous consent or contractual agreements.
The Crime and Policing Bill has now left the House of Commons and is being considered in the upper house of Parliament, the House of Lords.