Honourable senators, this week marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Every 10 minutes, a woman in the world is killed by someone close to her, according to the United Nations. That is chilling.

Among the escalating forms of violence, the sexual exploitation of women has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. It is high time that governments did more to protect women online because the stories of abuse that are coming to light are alarming.

An explosive Reuters investigation has revealed the underbelly of what the very popular platform OnlyFans markets as a way for women to earn money by selling their own pornographic material. The reality is that sex traffickers are using these platforms to exploit these women.

According to state prosecutors, a young woman from Wisconsin was literally held captive by her boyfriend in their home for two years. Every night, he forced her to record sex acts on camera, which he mostly uploaded to OnlyFans. The woman tried to escape, but her aggressor poured burning grease on her body to stop her. When she finally got free, the victim stated the following, and I quote:

The two years there felt like decades, and I was in pain and alone and ready to die. . . . I don’t think I’ll ever be fully healed.

Her abuser was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while OnlyFans came out unscathed.

OnlyFans claims that it empowers women to monetize sexually explicit images of their bodies in a safe environment. However, the Reuters investigation found a dozen women who were deceived, terrorized and even enslaved so that traffickers could make money on that site.

This is a global phenomenon. Influencer Andrew Tate, who has millions of followers on social media, has been accused of forcing women in Romania to produce pornography for OnlyFans and pocketing their earnings. Tate denies the allegations.

Why don’t our public authorities force these all-powerful pornography platforms to obtain the consent of the people involved? OnlyFans says that it has been asking for proof of consent since 2022.

This is a legal industry only if the participants are of age and consenting. The current regulatory void creates opportunities for the worst abuses and destroys the lives of women and girls. Is it really freedom when profit-hungry businesses are allowed to exploit women and girls? I cannot fathom that.

I know this is a sordid reality. We would rather not see it. However, the people in this chamber are not only senators; we are parents and grandparents, too. As a society, we have a duty to enable young women to thrive, to have healthy intimate relationships and to avoid being exploited by individuals hiding behind screens.

Thank you.