Rosanne Barr, Gloria Steinem and Angela Beausang.

Letter of support to Ögmundur Jónasson

2013-03-22 | The signers padlock

OPINION

”We are inspired by your boldness and innovation in protecting children, honoring women’s rights to safety and equality” writes more than 100 scholars, activists, and professionals across the globe to Ögmundur Jónasson, head the Ministry of the Interior, for his current efforts in Iceland to develop and implement legal limits on violent Internet pornography.

Dr. Esohe Aghatise, Executive Director, Associazione Iroko Onlus, Turin, Italy

Ruthanna Barnett, Human Rights Lawyer, Santa Cruz, California, USA/Oxford, England

Roseanne Barr, Actress, Producer (“Roseanne”), USA

Dr. Kathleen Barry, Author, “Female Sexual Slavery” and “Prostitution of Sexuality,”

Professor Emerita, Penn State University, USA

Angela Beausang, Chair, Roks (The National Organization for Women´s Shelters and Young Women’s Shelters), Sweden

Julie Bindel, Journalist and Feminist Activist, London, England

Edda Björgvinsdóttir, Actress, Iceland

Dr. Ana Bridges, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas, USA

Anne Burns,  Health Improvement Lead, Child & Maternal Health,  Health Improvement Team  NHS

Greater Glasgow and Clyde Scotland, Scotland

Tanith Carey, Author, “Where Has My Little Girl Gone?” London, England

Vivien Caldwell, Solicitor, The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscals Service, Glasgow, Scotland, former Local Councillor, Renfrewshire, Scotland

Elaine Carr, Clinical Psychologist, Coathill Hospital, Coatbridge, Scotland

Vednita Carter, Founder and Executive Director, Breaking Free (Anti-Trafficking Organization), St. Paul, Minn., USA

Alexandra Charles, President, Ordförande, 1.6miljonerklubben, Stockholm, Sweden

Chris Cherry, Director of Communications, South Carolina Democratic Women's Council, USA Collective Shout, Leading Anti-Pornography Organization, Australia

Dr. Deirdre Condit, Associate Professor of Political Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA

Angie Conroy, Activist, Strategic Advisor, Strey Khmer, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Dr. Gail Dines, author of “Pornland,” Professor of Sociology and Chair of American Studies, Wheelock College Boston, Mass., USA

Anni Donaldson, Violence Against Women Team Lead, West Dunbartonshire Violence Against Women Partnership, Glasgow, Scotland

Kezia Dugdale, Member, Scottish Parliament, Shadow Minister for Youth Employment, Lothian Region (Labour & Co-op) Scotland

Sharon Dunn, Scottish Coalition Against Sexual Exploitation

Matthew B. Ezzell, Ph, Assistant Professor of Sociology, James Madison University Harrisonburg, Va., USA

Dr. Melissa Farley, Executive Director, Prostitution Research & Education, USA The Feminist Party of Germany

Camilla Silva Floistrup, Project Manager, Danish Institute for Human Rights, Copenhagen, Denmark

MS,Robert L. Franklin, Sexual Violence Prevention Professional, Virginia, USA

Fredrika-Bremer Association (Oldest Women’s Movement Organisation in Sweden)

Dawn Fyffe, Say Women, Glasgow, Scotland

Marlyn Glen, Former Member, Scottish Parliament

Ruchira Gupta, President, Apne Aap Women Worldwide (sex trafficking), India

Sophie Gwyther, Team Leader, Children and Young People's Service, Fife Women's Aid, Scotland

Professor Simon Hackett and Dr. Nicole Westmarland, Durham University Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse (CRiVA), UK

Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir, President, Federation of Icelandic Artists

Elizabeth Handsley (Northwestern) Professor of Law, Flinders University; President, Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM)

Birgitta Hansson, Union President, Sweden Union, Soroptimistklubbar

Maree Hawken, coordinator, Queensland Women's Health Network, Australia

Dr. Susan Hawthorne, Publisher, Spinifex Press, Adjunct Professor, James Cook University

Ann Hayne, Gender-Based Violence Manager, Coathill Hospital, Coatbridge, Scotland

Marta Torres Herrero, Violence Program Coordinator, Pozuelo de Alarcon, Spain

Wiveca Holst, Swedish Expert, The Observatory European, Women's Lobby

Derrick Jensen, Author, “Endgame,” Crescent City, California, USA

Cherie Jimenez, Director, Kim’s Project (Anti-trafficking), Boston, Mass., USA

Dr. Jennifer A. Johnson, Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA

Hetty Johnston, Founder and Executive Director, Bravehearts (child abuse prevention), Australia

Dr. Sue Jones, Centre for Gender and Violence Research, School for Policy Studies, Bristol University, UK

Guðrún Jónsdóttir, Spokesperson for Stigamot, Reykjavík, Iceland

Jackson Katz, Ph.D., Director, MVP Strategies, Long Beach, Calif., USA

Dr. Liz Kelly, Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit, London Metropolitan University London, England

Jenny Kemp, Coordinator, Zero Tolerance Campaign, Scotland

Connie J. Kirkland, National Certified Counselor, Certified Trauma Specialist, Association of Traumatic Stress Specialists, Northern Virginia Community College, USA

Dr. Renate Klein, Associate Professor (retired), Women’s Studies, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia; Publisher, Spinifex Press

Elizabeth Koepping, Associate Director, CSWC, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Iluta Lace, Manager, Association Resource Centre for Women, MARTA,  Riga, Latvia Dr. David Levy, Professor and Chair, Business School, University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA

Dr. Julia Long, Author, Activist, VAWG Services Manager, UK

Linda MacDonald, MEd, BN, RN, Nurse and Human Rights Defender for Women, Persons Against Non-State Torture, Nova Scotia, Canada

Finn Mackay, Founder, London Feminist Network; Centre for Gender and Violence Research, University of Bristol, UK

Jan Macleod, Senior Development Office, Women’s Support Project, Glasgow, Scotland

Dr. Ramesh Manocha, Convenor and Chairman, “The Right to Childhood,” CEO Healthed and Generation Next, Australia

Malka Marcovich, Mediterranean Network Against Trafficking in Women; International Coalition Zero Impunity

Dr. Betty McLellan, Coalition for a Feminist Agenda, Townsville, Queensland, Australia Robin Morgan, Author, Activist, USA

Kate Morrissey, Counselling and Supervision Services, Manchester; UK Feminist Network

Sarah Morton, Co-Director, Knowledge Exchange, Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR), University of Edinburgh, Scotland

Wendy Murphy, JD, Professor of Sexual Violence Law, New England Law, Boston, Mass., USA; Former Sex Crimes Prosecutor

Pauline Myers, National Chairman, Townswomen’s Guilds, Birmingham, England

The National Organization for Women's Shelter and Young Women's Shelters, Sweden

Rachel McPherson LLB (Hons) M.Res (Law), Institute for Society and Social Research, Glasgow, Caledonian University

Eleanor Mills, Associate Editor, The Sunday Times, England, UK

Bel Mooney, Author, Columnist, UK

Hiroshi Nakasatomi, Associate Professor, University of Tokushima, Japan

The Hon. Alastair Nicholson, AO RFD QC, Former Chief Justice of the Family Court and Founding Patron, Children’s Rights International, Australia

Dr. Caroline Norma, RMIT University, Australia, School of Social, Urban and Global Studies

Dr. Lesley Orr, Feminist Historian, Theologian; Acting Chair, Zero Tolerance Trust (Fighting Male Violence Against Women), Scotland

Sue Palmer, Author of “Toxic Childhood,” Edinburgh, Scotland

Bridget Penhale, Reader in Mental Health, School of Nursing Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

Dianne Post, International Human Rights Attorney, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Dr. Helen Pringle, School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Norma Ramos, Esq. Executive Director, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Int'l. Rape Crisis Scotland

Rape Crisis Glasgow, Scotland, Emma Ritch, Chair; Isabelle Kerr, Manager

Eha Reitelmann, General Secretary, Estonian Women’s Associations Roundtable

Dr. John Sanbonmatsu, Associate Professor, Philosophy, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Mass., USA

Amber Schalke, Feminist Party of Germany; Renate Schmidtsdorff-Aicher, Treasurer; Margot Müller, National Spokeswoman

Dr. Marsha Scott, Convener Engender, Scotland

Elaine Smith, Member, Scottish Parliament

Rt. Hon. Jacqui Smith, British Home Secretary (2007-09), UK

Gloria Steinem, Writer, Lecturer, Co-founder, Ms Magazine

Ane Stoe, Ottar (Feminst Organization), Norway

John Stoltenberg, MDiv, MFA, Author, Washington, DC, USA

Jacci Stoyle, Amnesty Paisley (Campaign Against Human Trafficking), Scotland

Swedish Medical Women’s Association, Gothenburg, Sweden (Johanna Berg, National, Coordinator)

Swedish Women’s Lobby, Gertrud Åström, President, Stockholm, Sweden

Melinda Tankard Reist, Editor, “Big Porn Inc.,” Australia

Emily Thomson, Lecturer, Co-Director of Women in Scotland's Economy Research Centre, Glasgow, Caledonian University

Liane Timmermann, MillionWomenRise, Wales, UK

Linda Thompson, National Development Officer, Women’s Support Project, Scotland

Teresa Ulloa Ziaurriz, Regional Director, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women and Girls in Latin America and the Caribbean; Winner, 2011 Gleitsman International Activist Award (Harvard)

Megan Walker, Executive Director, London Abused Women’s Centre, London, Ontario. Canada

Vivien Walsh, Professor, Innovation Studies, University of Manchester, England, Author, "Whose Choice?"

Lori Watson, Associate Professor, Philosophy, University San Diego, Calif., USA

Karin Werkman, Researcher, The Netherlands

Maria Weston, Nurse, National Health Service, Nottingham, England, UK

Dr. Rebecca Whisnant, Associate Professor, Philosophy, University of Dayton, Ohio, USA

Women Graduates’ Association, Dr. Catherine Dahlstrom, Associate Professor, Stockholm, Sweden

Women’s Front of Norway, Agnete Strøm, International Coordinator

WOCAD: Women’s Organisations Committee on Alcohol and Drug Issues, Stockholm, Sweden

John Woods, Consultant Psychotherapist, The Portman Clinic, London, England

March 18, 2013

Ögmundur Jónasson

Reykjavík

Dear Mr. Jónasson,

We are writing to express our support for current efforts in Iceland to develop and implement legal limits on violent Internet pornography. As scholars, medical and public health professionals, social service providers, and community activists, we commend your government’s determination to confront the harms of pornography. As part of a comprehensive approach to violence prevention, sex education, and public health, legally limiting Internet pornography will reduce the power of this multi-billion dollar global industry to distort and diminish the lives, opportunities, and relationships of Icelandic citizens.

Especially commendable is your government’s commitment to protect children from the harms of pornography. We recognize in other contexts (e.g., advertising) that children’s unique developmental needs mandate protecting them from predatory corporate interests. As pornography invades children’s lives and psyches at ever earlier ages and with ever more distressing effects, this recognition must be applied to pornography. It is naïve and unrealistic to expect parents and schools to counter effectively the influence of this powerful and pervasive industry. Rather, society must act on its compelling interest in providing a safe and nourishing environment for children. We applaud your government’s effort to exercise collective responsibility for children’s well-being by placing limits on a toxic media environment from which they cannot otherwise be sufficiently shielded.

We understand that your deliberations remain at an early stage and that many important aspects of the proposed legislation remain to be worked out. That said, we commend your government’s stated intention to define pornography narrowly (as sexual material involving violence and degradation), thus ensuring Icelandic citizens’ access to the fullest possible range of online information consistent with the protection of children and of women’s civil right to equality. As your efforts continue to develop, we would urge you not to be dissuaded by dark invocations of totalitarianism or of an unregulated black market in pornography. The pornography industry could hardly be any less regulated than it is currently, nor could the motivations and methods of the Icelandic initiative differ more starkly from those of authoritarian governments.

From adopting the so-called “Nordic” approach to prostitution in 2009 to banning strip clubs in 2010, and having stood virtually alone among nations in holding banks to account in the wake of the global financial crisis, Iceland is a global leader both in gender equality and in confronting corporate power. We are inspired by your boldness and innovation in protecting children, honoring women’s rights to safety and equality, and maintaining the integrity of Icelandic culture against the onslaught of an unrestrained industry of sexual exploitation. As a group of similarly committed scholars, activists, and professionals across the globe, we stand with you and look forward to seeing the final result of your efforts.

Sincerely,

The signers