If you are affected by anything you read here, you can contact us. We are here for you.
Today (27th June 2023), the Ministry of Justice has announced new measures that will mean abusers, predators, and ex-partners who share intimate images online without the consent of those depicted can face up to 6 months in prison.
New amendments to the Online Safety Bill have changed the current law which requires the prosecution to prove that perpetrators shared sexual images or films in order to cause distress, in the hope of making it easier to secure a conviction.
The announcement also details that the sharing of 'deep fake' intimate images – explicit images or videos which have been digitally manipulated to look like someone else – will also be criminalised.
Jayne Butler, CEO of Rape Crisis England & Wales said:
Intimate image abuse or so-called 'revenge porn' is a form of sexual abuse that can have a profound and devastating impact on victims and survivors. We welcome the amendments to the Online Safety Bill which will make it easier to charge and convict perpetrators: victims and survivors of this appalling crime have been denied justice for too long.
We'd like to thank and recognise the commitment of survivor Georgia Harrison who campaigned tirelessly alongside women's rights organisations for this change to be made.
Although this is a positive step for victims and survivors who want to report, there is still much more to be done to tackle image-based sexual abuse, which includes holding online platforms that host and enable this abuse to account.