YNOT — More than one-hundred anti-rape advocacy groups and individual activists have launched a campaign to convince British prime minister David Cameron to criminalise the possession of simulated ‘rape’ porn in the UK Although existing UK laws already outlaw the publishing of adult images that depict act of rape, activists are arguing that possession of these images by UK residents should also be outlawed.

The activists claim in their letter to David Cameron that simulated rape porn can lead to an increase in actual rape, pointing to U.S.-based research that they claim suggests a link between “arousal to rape material and a propensity to rape”.

According to the group Rape Crisis South London, simulated rape porn can be interpreted by its audience to promote and condone crimes such as kidnapping, child abuse or violence against women.

“Permitting the possession of depictions of sexual violence as entertainment glorifies, trivialises and normalises such abuse at a time when government statistics estimate that 85,000 women and girls are raped each year,” said Fiona Elvines, a member of Rape Crisis South London.

An unnamed government official responded to the letter campaign.

“Rape is an abhorrent crime and that is why this government has driven forward significant progress in tackling violence against women and girls. We share the public’s concern about the availability of harmful content on the internet and have already taken steps to ensure there are better online filters to protect children. But we want to look at what more can be done and so the culture secretary has invited internet providers to a summit this month. We will look closely at the issues raised in this letter.”

Professor Clare McGlynn, a legal expert at Durham University, said she met with Ministry of Justice officials last year and was told that a change in existing law was not “appropriate or necessary”.