The Porn Problem: Sex workers teach clients about consent as requests for rougher sex rise

November 7, 2018

One brothel in Wellington is creating educational videos to teach clients about consent.

Sex workers are needing to teach some clients about consent, amid a rise in the number asking for rougher sex.

One brothel in Wellington, Funhouse, is creating educational videos, saying things like violent porn and video games shouldn't be what's teaching the next generation about sex.

While rougher sex is something Funhouse offers, some take it too far.

"We do have clients who come in thinking, I guess, because they've watched a lot of this porn, and it becomes in their brain, they think everybody must be into it," Mary Brennan of Funhouse told 1 NEWS.

Ms Brennan's workers are having to teach some clients about consent.

"Most sex workers, they're a lot stronger about boundaries and safety than maybe some women who haven't had the support and the nurturing that the sex industry can bring," she said.

And they're hoping to pass that knowledge on through educational YouTube videos.

That move is supported by the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective.

"Nobody who's sexually active should be afraid of these discussions," Dame Catherine Healy of the New Zealand Prostitutes' Collective said.

"I think it's very important people are able to talk, be it somebody who's an operator of a brothel, or a sex worker or a client or the general public."

But both women are reluctant to blame porn, saying it's only one of many mediums, also including video games, brought forward by a lack of sex education.

"We need to take the power out of the hands of the internet," Ms Brennan said. "But also, don't blame porn. If you haven't taken the time or the energy to teach your own children about sex, don't blame someone else."

The Government is looking at ways to ensure only adults watch porn.

But experts say the Government needs to be doing more by bringing more sex education in the school curriculum.

"The single factor that would make the most difference to the most young people and families is to support schools to be addressing this issue," said Maree Crabbe, an adolescent sexuality expert. 

Ms Brennan agrees more sex education is needed, saying: "We're not doing that. So we're failing our young people by not educating them about sex."

It's something she's wanting to change through her videos.

TVNZ is looking in-depth at the porn issue throughout this week – see all the coverage at www.tvnz.co.nz/the-porn-problem

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