TWO North-East campaigners have welcomed plans to reform the law on extreme pornography.

Prime Minister David Cameron has announced measures to curb online pornography including making the possession of online pornography depicting rape illegal, bringing England and Wales in line with Scotland.

This gap in the law was identified in the research of Professors Clare McGlynn and Erika Rackley, of Durham University’s Law School, in 2009.

Professors McGlynn and Rackley worked with women’s organisations in 2010 to ensure that the Scottish law on pornography included images of rape. They say that rape pornography creats a cultural climate in which rape is not taken seriously. Currently the extreme pornography legislation excludes the vast majority of images of rape..

Professors McGlynn and Rackley have worked with Rape Crisis South London and the End Violence Against Women coalition in their campaign to change the law. Professors Clare McGlynn and Erika Rackley today (Monday July 22) welcomed the announcement.

Professor McGlynn said: “The extreme pornography law can be swiftly and easily reformed to send a clear message that rape is not a legitimate form of sexual entertainment.”

Professor Rackley said: “The reform of the extreme porn law announced today represents an important shift in the focus of the law, away from consensual activity, towards challenging the sexualisation of violence against women.”