The Holy See’s delegation to the United Nations is organizing a March 19 event in conjunction with the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women titled “The Scourge of Pornography in the Digital Age.”
This event will address the social impact resulting from the widespread availability of pornographic content on the internet and will take place at the U.N. headquarters in New York.
The conference will feature experts in law, psychology, and pastoral care who will analyze the social consequences of pornography, especially for women and children.
Speakers will include Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations; Julia Dezelski, associate director for marriage and family life at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth; Maria Parker, assistant director for the laity at the secretariat; and Eleanor Kennelly Gaetan, vice president and director of public policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
Also participating will be Teresa Gerns Jiménez-Villarejo, representative of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe; and Marissa Eckelkamp, policy adviser on marriage and family at the USCCB.
The event coincides with the 30th anniversary of the publication of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a resolution adopted by the United Nations on Sept. 15, 1995, at the conclusion of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
The document recognized the harmful effects of pornography on women and girls: fostering violence and reinforcing degrading portrayals.
However, the event organizers lamented that despite international efforts, “the proliferation of pornography in the digital age continues to represent a growing challenge, especially with the rise of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and social media.”
In addition to the exploitation of children in the production of pornography, the event will address emerging forms of abuse, such as “sextortion” and “virtual child pornography,” practices that violate human dignity and have serious psychological and social consequences.
Pope Francis has described pornography as a “brutality” that requires urgent attention.
In 2015, the USCCB published the pastoral document “Create in Me a Pure Heart,” a response to raise awareness about the destructive effects of pornography and to help those affected by it to heal.
In this context, the event, organized by the Holy See, seeks to promote a global dialogue on current challenges and discuss effective strategies to counter this form of violence.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
