Porn Addiction Is a Public Health Crisis; Causes Violence, Sexual Dysfunction

Porn Addiction Is a Public Health Crisis; Causes Violence, Sexual Dysfunction, Says Sexual Exploitation Summit Leader

By Ray Nothstine , Christian Post Reporter

ORLANDO — The organizer of the three-day Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation Summit, says a major purpose of this weeks conference is to raise awareness of the importance of reframing porn addiction as a "public health crisis."

"Pornography leads to increased violence against women, sexual dysfunction among young men and lifelong addictions. The child pornography epidemic is overwhelming jails, increasing divorce rates, and the sexual templates of young children are being gravely affected due to earlier exposure," said Dawn Hawkins, vice president and executive director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation in an interview with The Christian Post.
 

Hawkins, who is the organizer of the second annual summit, further emphasized that the moral and spiritual sides of the argument are still essential.

She will be joined by 50 speakers that include Ed Smart, Richard Land and Ernie Allen.

Smart is the father of Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted from her home at age 14, and rescued nine months later. His presentation is titled "Sexual Exploitation: Connecting the Dots in Real Life." Land is executive editor of The Christian Post and president of Southern Evangelical Seminary. Allen is the founder and former president and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

The audience for the first day of the Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation's Summit 2014 at the Tysons Corner Marriott in Tysons Corner, Virginia, Friday, May 16, 2014.

"We are trying to bring together people who are experts on exploitation," added Hawkins. "We want people to network and know they're part of a bigger movement and are not working alone. The movement, as a whole, will be strengthened at this conference." CP