International women's rights advocates call on Canada to hold Pornhub to account
International women's rights advocates are calling on Canada to apply existing laws to hold tech giants like Pornhub to account in stopping the violence and exploitation of women.
In a news conference with the NDP today, advocates say it's necessary for the federal government to act in halting human rights violations committed by sites like Pornhub against women not just in Canada but around the world.
Charlie Angus, NDP critic for ethics, is urging the Liberal government to make Pornhub and other platforms follow legal obligations under child pornography laws and laws against posting non-consensual sexual abuse.
Angus says over 600 women's organizations and survivors of sexual abuse reached out following the Pornhub study done by the privacy and ethics committee, which will be reported to Parliament this week.
Vaishnavi Sundar of the Women's Human Rights Campaign India says Pornhub's message is that abductions, rapes and torture of vulnerable women, especially in countries in the global south, can be considered a "fun sexual experience for men everywhere."
MindGeek, the Montreal-based parent company of Pornhub, did not immediately respond to a request for comment but has previously denied all accusations of wrongdoing.
The company has said it is a global leader in preventing distribution of exploitive videos and images and has zero tolerance for non-consensual content or child sexual-abuse material.
The Liberal government announced in April it would introduce legislation to create a new regulator that will ensure online platforms remove harmful content, including depictions of children and intimate images that are shared without consent.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.