New measures introduced to crackdown on image-based abuse
The Government announced new measures yesterday which will crackdown on image-based abuse.
The amendments to the online safety bill will remove the need for lawyers to prove the intention of distress as well as introduce jail sentences for abusers or predators who share intimate images online without consent.
The reforms follow the campaigning of Georgia Harrison, a victim of image-based abuse, and Dame Maria Miller MP as well as recommendations from the Law Commission.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC, said:
“We are cracking down on abusers who share or manipulate intimate photos in order to hound or humiliate women and girls. Our changes will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to bring these cowards to justice, safeguarding women and girls from such vile abuse.”
Campaigner Georgia Harrison said:
“The reforms to the law that has been passed today are going to go down in history as a turning point for generations to come and will bring peace of mind to so many victims who have reached out to me whilst also giving future victim’s the justice they deserve. I’m so grateful to everyone who supported me throughout this campaign and it just goes to show how amazing our country is that the government have reacted so quickly to push through these amendments.”
“No-one should ever fear that their intimate images will be put online without their consent and the true courage shown by Georgia Harrison to tell her story will help empower more victims to come forward and get the justice they deserve. Our reforms will make it easier to convict these vile individuals and protect women from being subject to such predatory abuse.”
The sharing of ‘deep fake’ intimate images will also be criminalised. Recent research found that 1 in 7 women and 1 in 9 men aged between 18 and 34 have experienced threats to share intimate images.
Research also shows that between April 2015 and December 2021, the police recorded more than 28,000 reports of sharing private sexual images without consent.
Minister for Technology and the Digital Economy, Paul Scully, said:
"The unsolicited sharing and manipulation of intimate photos is a cowardly and revolting thing to do and has an absolutely devastating impact on the lives of women and girls across the UK. The Online Safety Bill will make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. These new laws set a global standard for bringing justice to those who share these images, protecting women and girls from this shocking abuse.”
Ruth Davison, CEO of Refuge, said:
“Refuge welcomes these amendments to the Online Safety Bill. Intimate image abuse is a multifaceted and complex form of domestic abuse, which can be perpetrated in many ways. In 2021, threatening to share intimate images was criminalised, following the success of Refuge’s ‘The Naked Threat’ campaign.”
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