Warning: This article contains references to rape, sexual assault and revenge porn. If you need support with any of these issues, please contact Rape Crisis or Rape Crisis Scotland.
Pornographic website, Pornhub, has come under fire for allowing videos of genuine rapes and sexual assaults to appear on its site. Following her own experience of being raped at the age of 14, blogger and writer, Rose Kalemba, has spoken out saying that after her assault took place in 2009, she found videos of it online. This comes at a time where women are increasingly seeking out alternative, safer and better regulated porn sites to use, for their personal pleasure.
The law against revenge porn (the act of posting indecent and explicit pictures online with the intention of humiliating, shaming and even blackmailing the victim) was introduced in early 2015, making it a crime punishable by up to two years in prison. However, at present, the victims are not granted anonymity.
Talking candidly to the BBC and on her own blog, Rose explains that she contacted Pornhub several times asking them to remove the distressing footage, however it was only when she posed as a lawyer that they responded and complied.
In response to this story, a spokesperson for Pornhub told Cosmopolitan:
Videos with these titles are more often legal, consensual videos catering to various user fantasies. Since these horrific allegations in 2009, Pornhub has changed ownership and put in place the industry's most stringent safeguards and policies when it comes to combating unauthorised and illegal content.
We work around the clock to determine abusive and non-consensual content from fantasy roleplay, removing content that breaches our Terms immediately. We also use Vobile digital fingerprinting software which scans any new uploads for potential matches to previously removed unauthorised material.
This isn't the first time Pornhub has been criticised for showing real rapes. Multiple adult video performers accused pornographic actor James Deen of violently raping them on camera, saying the footage was widely distributed and allowed on porn websites. Deen denied the allegations.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
