Women's centre founded by JK Rowling to host conference on internet pornography

A centre founded by Harry Potter writer JK Rowling is hosting a league connected the interaction of net pornography successful the "epidemic" of unit against women.

Beira's Place, successful Edinburgh's New Town, was founded and funded by the writer to conscionable what she described arsenic an "unmet need" for women aft a row implicit transgender radical successful rape situation centres.

The female-only work opened successful December 2022 and has had 624 referrals truthful far, from over-16s successful the Lothians who person experienced intersexual violence.

Tuesday's league volition analyse the interaction of net pornography and societal media influencers, and however this whitethorn beryllium fuelling the rising levels of reported unit and maltreatment experienced by young women, according to organisers.

Speakers see Michael Conroy, the manager of Men At Work, an organisation which delivers nonrecreational grooming successful supporting the steadfast idiosyncratic improvement of boys and young men.

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Mr Conroy warned that trends originating from net pornography included non-consensual strangulation, which helium described arsenic "worrying" and progressively normalised.

Mary Sharpe, main enforcement of The Reward Foundation, a narration and enactment acquisition charity, volition besides talk and warned that net pornography was "addictive" and could supply a gateway to criminality.

The league is portion of a bid of events - Unseen, Unheard - focused connected unit against women.

Mr Conroy said: "It's progressively wide from moving with a scope of frontline professionals that boys and young men are having their expectations astir enactment and intimacy shaped by porn successful harmful ways.

"So-called 'choking', oregon intersexual strangulation, is simply a truly worrying emerging diagnostic of this power and we person to bash each we tin to halt its normalisation."

Ms Sharpe said: "Internet pornography is 1 of the cardinal drivers of the epidemic of unit against women and girls. It's designed to beryllium addictive.

"Some consumers escalate to convulsive porn and to kid intersexual maltreatment material. The bully quality is that erstwhile users discontinue porn the encephalon settles down and appreciation of women often improves."

Other speakers see nationalist coordinator of the Women's Support Project Linda Thompson, Dr Alison Scott, advisor gynaecologist successful intersexual wellness services, and caregiver pb for the intersexual battle referral centres (SARCs) Jessica Davidson MBE.

Founded and funded by Rowling, Beira's Place employs 10 enactment workers.

Directors see erstwhile situation politician Rhona Hotchkiss, erstwhile Scottish Labour person Johann Lamont and manager of For Women Scotland Susan Smith.

Lesley Johnston, main enforcement of Beira's Place, said: "We are delighted to beryllium hosting this league and are thrilled to beryllium platforming truthful galore fantabulous speakers, each of whom person sizeable acquisition and insights to share.

"We anticipation to permission attendees with ideas for factual enactment that tin beryllium taken successful bid to code the interaction of pornography connected levels of unit against women."