An 11th grade student shared a picture of themselves in underwear privately to their partner. And to their shock, it was later shared with each one of their classmates as a joke. One wrong decision, one wrong person to trust, and things hit the fan. This, is Revenge Porn.
A couple was having problems. When one of them decided to break it off, they receive threats
from their partner of sending intimate pictures to friends and family if they decide to leave. In
fear of conservative parents and family, the partner decides to stay in the toxic relationship. With
a threatening partner who, at the end sends those pictures to friends while trash talking and
laughing. This, is Revenge Porn.
Despite being often used, the phrase “revenge porn” might be deceptive. Some criminals may use
intimate or graphic videos or images after breakups, fights, or other unpleasant acts, even though
they are not motivated by retaliation or any personal feelings for the victim at the time the crime
happens. “Nonconsensual pornography (NCP),” which is defined as the dissemination of
sexually explicit photos of people without their agreement, is the legal and maybe more accurate
word.
What is Revenge Porn
Due to the growing popularity of digital devices and the internet, revenge porn is a relatively
recent phenomena. The victims of revenge porn can suffer terrible repercussions, and offenders
may now get prison sentences.
In a kind of online abuse known as revenge porn, naked or sexually graphic images or films are
disseminated without the subjects’ knowledge or permission. It is strongly tied to sexual abuse
and is sometimes referred to as nonconsensual pornography.
Statistics say that 38% of men and 35% of women have traded or shared explicit graphic
photographs. To assist educate kids and adults that sexting is a choice, the media has embraced
ads and PSAs (though we recognize there are times when individuals feel compelled to do this).
A Real World Problem
It typically occurs between partners who, when their relationship was healthy, shared personal or
intimate photos and videos, which were subsequently used to blackmail or hurt the other person
after a disagreement or rupture.
As a result, when the relationship soured later on, one or both of the ex-partners threatened or
blackmailed the other by threatening to reveal the photos or videos to the public or to their
family members and friends.
More and more people need to be educated on this as “what is revenge porn” is a question on
many minds. The lack of education shows.
Women are more likely to be targeted than males in image-based sexual abuse, or so-called
revenge porn, as is the case for sexual or gendered abuse and harassment online more generally.
Additionally, the effects of this type of abuse on a person’s health and wellness can be severe.
Revenge Porn laws need to be rigid and strict.
Is Revenge Porn Illegal?
A reform in the law eliminates the need for victims of revenge porn who were subjected to
intimate image abuse to demonstrate that their abusers meant to cause them anguish.
The Online Safety Bill’s revisions to present legislation would protect victims by removing the
burden of proof from the prosecution that distress-inducing graphic photographs or videos were
uploaded online.
The Revenge Porn laws all over the world might just result in pushing these people more towards
harassing and threatening the victims.
- Revenge porn laws are now present in 38 states in the United States as of July 2017, and legislation is pending in seven additional states.
- Similar rules exist in the UK as well, and since they were passed in 2015, more than 200 people have been successfully convicted under them.
- Early in 2017, Scotland’s Abusive Behavior and Sexual Harm Act went into force. New Zealand’s Harmful Digital Communications Act is a similar piece of protective legislation.
- Non-consensual pornography is now illegal in several other nations, including Israel, Canada, and the Philippines.
- The Criminal Code is one of the rules and regulations that victims of so-called revenge porn can use in Indonesia to seek justice. However, several experts have noted that these laws have often not been adequately executed.
- Revenge porn may result in a 2 year jail sentence and a 60.000 euro fine in France.
- According to Canadian law, it is illegal for anyone to knowingly publish, distribute, transmit, sell, make available, or advertise an intimate image of another person if they know or have reasonable cause to believe that the person being represented in the image has not consented to the conduct in question.
- Japan criminalizes Revenge Porn and states that editing, sharing, or trading images without the person’s consent, and under circumstances that may degrade or shame them will constitute under sexual harassment. The crime comes with five years in prison as well as monetary compensation to the victim.
