Finally, let's look at the "damage caused by the existence of pornography." This is damage that occurs even if pornography is not distributed, simply because it continues to exist in the hands of someone (especially someone with malicious intent). The characteristic of pornography, that it remains in the form of pictures or electronic media, also brings about this type of damage.
Existential damage
Simple possession of production damage
Pornography produced through production victimization continues to cause harm by remaining in the hands of consumers and perpetrators, even if it is not socially disseminated. For example, consider the case where pornography is produced as a result of assault or threat, or when a perpetrator takes videos or photographs during rape.
First of all, this act causes enormous "production damage" to the individuals who are filmed. However, the damage caused by pornography does not end there. If this footage is sold as rape pornography or made public online, a new type of pornography damage known as "distribution damage" occurs. However, this does not end the damage caused by pornography. Even if it were not distributed or distributed in this way, the victim would continue to feel fear and shame if the footage continued to exist in the hands of consumers and perpetrators, let alone if it were used for sexual pleasure, or even if they could even imagine this possibility.
Just as child pornography continues to cause harm even if it is not distributed, simply by being in the hands of consumers for viewing, pornography produced through violence, threats, voyeurism, and other acts of human rights violation, like child pornography, continues to cause psychological harm simply by existing and being possessed by consumers or perpetrators.
Pornography as a tactic for blackmail
Not only are they possessed simply for personal enjoyment, but they may also be actively used as a means to intimidate or harass victims.
For example, if a couple is photographed in sexual positions or engaging in sexual acts with the consent of both parties while they are dating, and then the photos or videos are unilaterally distributed after they break up, this constitutes "distribution damage." However, even if the photos are never actually made public, the mere suggestion of it is enough to frighten the victim. Victims worry that their nude or sexual photos may be distributed at any time deprives them of their right to live in peace and to lead a normal daily life.
When the victim is a woman under the age of 18, this type of case is often treated as a violation of the Child Pornography Prohibition Law, but when the victim is an adult, no crime is charged unless there is clear threatening language. For this reason, many women suffer from this type of damage.
There was a recent case that highlighted the damage caused by the possession of pornographic material. In 2010, the owner of an oil massage parlor assaulted a female customer and was arrested for recording the assault on video. During the trial, it was revealed that the perpetrator, through his lawyer, had hinted at the existence of the video to the victim, offering to dispose of it if she agreed to a settlement. The victim had asked the court to dispose of the video as well, but in December 2015, the court found the defendant guilty and made the rightful decision to confiscate the original video, which was also evidence, rather than returning it to the perpetrator (it is usually returned at the end of the trial).
This incident is just the tip of the iceberg. There are likely many more cases of "existential harm" that remain unsolved.
The diversity of pornography harms
As we have seen above, pornography causes a wide variety of damage, from its production to its distribution, consumption, and even its very existence. Pornography damage is a sexual harm that is as prevalent as or even more prevalent than domestic violence and sexual harassment. What we have listed here are merely representative examples of pornography damage, and with the development of the Internet and technology, new pornography damage is constantly being created. This is a serious human rights issue.
The government and society need to seriously address this large-scale sexual harm. We have concrete proposals for overcoming this harm from pornography. Please see the " For those who want to eliminate harm " page.