A new campaign has been launched calling for a comprehensive Image Based Abuse Law to better protect women’s rights and freedoms online and offline. The campaign is being led by the End Violence Against Women Coalition, #NotYourPorn and Glamour magazine and I am pleased to partner with them to make the case for this urgent action. You can read the Glamour article launching the campaign here and the more detailed policy brief here.
We are calling for a comprehensive, dedicated Image-Based Abuse Law which must include measures to:
– Strengthen criminal laws about creating, taking, sharing and threatening to share intimate images without consent (including sexually explicit deepfakes)
– Improve civil laws for survivors to take action against perpetrators and tech companies (including taking down abusive content)
– Prevent image-based abuse through comprehensive relationships, sex and health education
– Fund specialist services that provide support to victims and survivors of image-based abuse such as the Revenge Porn Helpline
– Create an Online Abuse Commission to hold tech companies accountable for image-based abuse
This call to action aims to address the gaps in the criminal law, the lack of civil law options for survivors, with a focus on prevention, survivor support and holding platforms to account. We hope it will replace the piecemeal, ad hoc approach taken so far to image-based abuse.
Read more:
The Glamour article launching the campaign
Policy briefing giving more detail of the proposals.
The End Violence Against Women and Girls press release
My research with Erika Rackley from 2017 setting out why a comprehensive law covering all forms of image-based sexual abuse including civil and criminal laws is justified.
My research report Shattering Lives and Myths – a report on image-based sexual abuse with colleagues from 2019 where we recommended establishing an Online Abuse Commission, as well as significant law reforms and education campaigns.
My comment on why we need to criminalise creating sexually explicit deepfakes.