Have you ever had a dalliance that you regret? For me, it was the time I sent naked pictures to a man – who I dated briefly – and it ended on a sour note.
By sour I mean he showed signs of controlling behaviour and, when I blocked his number, he found me on every single social media platform and would create new handles to get back in contact. While this eventually (and thankfully) ceased, not only did I spend this period concerned for my safety but also terrified that he would release my nude images.
This was close to five years ago now and yesterday, finally, I breathed a sigh of relief.
This is because the government has introduced new amendments to its Domestic Abuse Bill which says that abusers who threaten to share naked images of someone can face up to two years in jail.
This new amendment was introduced on top of the original ‘revenge porn’ laws that were first put into place in 2015 and will include “threats to disclose intimate images with the intention to cause distress”. Since the original revenge porn laws were introduced in the UK, 900 abusers have been convicted.
Other amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill saw non-fatal strangulation become a criminal offence and laws around controlling or coercive behaviour have been widened to include partners or ex-partners who no longer live together.
An estimated 43% of young women and 27% of young men have sent intimate images before, according to a report from Refuge and there has been a rise in these images ending up online. The BBC reports that police force figures for England and Wales saw the number of cases rise by 117% between 2015 to 2019.
Lockdown has seen revenge porn exacerbated as well and, in September last year, a government-funded helpline reported it has seen 2,050 reports made to its helpline – a 22% increase from 2019.
The helpline, which is run by charity South West Grid for Learning, helped to remove 22,515 images as of September 2020 and 94% of these were reported by victims.
Revenge porn has returned to the forefront of conversation this past week too as former Love Island star Zara McDermott’s powerful Revenge Porn documentary aired on BBC Three. In the documentary, McDermott reveals how she was a victim of revenge porn during her time at high school and how she felt ‘suicidal’ as a result.
“I got to a place where I was suicidal. That’s how bad it was. Knowing that when [the images] came out, I was actually going to be bullied more – that was something I couldn’t bear. I’d say it does still affect me to this day,” McDermott said.
The Love Island star is now a campaigner against revenge porn. Of the amendments made to the Domestic Abuse Bill, she said: “This is such welcome news. My life when I left the Love Island villa was turned upside down as a result of the sharing of intimate images. I’m so glad I’ve been able to use my platform to support Refuge and call for this change in the law. Together with survivors, with politicians and with the thousands of supporters that took action, we did it! Change is coming and I am thrilled’.”
Domestic abuse charity Refuge has tirelessly campaigned for this amendment to be made with its ‘The Naked Threat’ campaign. This saw 45,000 Refuge supporters writing to government ministers urging them to make the law change.
“This is a victory for women and girls and brings a huge sense of relief to the 1 in 7 young women who experience this form of abuse in the UK, and have had limited recourse to justice,” Refuge said in a statement.
While sending naked and intimate images is, of course, a personal decision if you do decide to make sure it’s with someone you trust completely and you feel in no way pressured to do so.
Do I regret sending nude pictures? Absolutely but I now feel so much more protected knowing these laws are in place.
If you have had your intimate images shared without your consent, remember that you are not alone and there is help available. Get in touch with the Revenge Porn Helpline on help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk. There is also a step-by-step guide on notyourporn.com which should be followed before taking any action.
Due to the rise in cases, the Revenge Porn Helpline (who are funded by the Home Office) urgently need more resources. If you would like to show your support, visit revengepornhelpline.org.uk to donate.