For some time now, a row has been brewing over the government's proposals to restrict children's access to online porn and other material. In one corner is Tory MP Claire Perry and the Christian organisation Safer Media calling for a block on pornographic sites. In the other are libertarian groups such as Big Brother Watch who believe that tighter restrictions risk "lulling parents into a false sense of security" and that there is a serious freedom of speech issue (although you get the strong impression that the latter is of far more concern than child protection).

The debates are frustratingly lacking in evidence and lack any feminist voice or expert view on porn. Recent discussions on the BBC's Today and PM programmes have tended to focus on the practicalities. This suggests an underlying acceptance that children's access to porn online should be restricted, it's just a matter of whether internet controls or parental supervision are the best way of achieving this.

Statistics about what proportion of children have viewed porn online and at what age are bandied around. What is glaringly absent is any discussion about the evidence of the harm of porn either to children or to adults. Where are the sexual-violence support services who can talk about the way that porn is used in the sexual abuse of women and girls (and men and boys)? Or the campaigners who can talk about the connection between online porn and the mainstream media (have you looked at the Sport recently?), or the experts who can talk about the growing evidence about the impact of porn on men's and boys' attitudes to women and girls, including their expectations and assumptions about sex and their tolerance of sexual violence.

The fact is that porn, and increasingly more extreme porn, is now widely available on the internet. Racist language and stereotypes used in pornography about both men (eg "beasts") and women would not be

considered acceptable in any other context. Porn is both commercial, user-generated, promoted through social media such as Reddit pages, in video games and music videos (UK grime artist Skepta produced an actual porn video to promote his single All Over The House). Despite being banned in the workplace, boys routinely use porn on their phones in the school playground to sexually harass girls. Recent research from the NSPCC on "sexting" lifts the lid on harmful and distressing behaviours in schools that are adversely affecting girls.

Professionals, such as the director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer, and the deputy children's commissioner Sue Berelowitz, are increasingly speaking out about the impacts of porn on young men who commit sexual and relationship violence.

I have not heard any of these issues discussed in the debates. End Violence Against Women has responded to the government's consultation by saying that any policy responses to porn, online or off, must understand and address its role in perpetuating women's inequality and the harms involved to women and girls.

To this end, it should be explicitly connected to the Home Office-led strategy on violence against women with the focus on the attitudes and behaviours of men and boys towards women, rather than on the sexuality of women and girls', as is so often the case with discussions about sexualisation.

We want to see ongoing campaigns to change attitudes and behaviour in all parts of the community. Of critical importance is sex education. Currently very patchy and being undermined by Michael Gove , it is a key part of the curriculum where boys and girls can discuss healthy relationships, sexual consent, gender stereotypes and the reality of sex in comparison to fantasy pornland.

We at the End Violence Against Women coalition support our member organisation Object in calling for consistency in the regulation of and approach to pornographic and sexist images, whether they are in daily newspapers, adverts, television, or online, based on the principles of women's equality and child protection. With new ministers posted in key government departments, will the government will be bold enough to take this step?