This article references domestic and image-based sexual abuse.
Women around the world are living in fear of image-based abuse – and we're seeing it first-hand in the UK.
We saw female politicians experience deepfake abuse during the general election. We know that 1 in 14 adults have experienced threats to share their intimate images without their consent – often within the context of domestic abuse. We also know that the UK should be leading the way when it comes to addressing image-based abuse.
This is why GLAMOUR has partnered with the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), Not Your Porn and Professor Clare McGlynn to demand the introduction of a dedicated, comprehensive Image-Based Abuse law to protect women and girls.
We're making progress. Today, the government has announced plans to “crackdown on revenge porn” by making the sharing of intimate images without consent a “priority offence” under the Online Safety Act.
According to a government press release, the new proposal requires tech companies to proactively prevent and remove intimate images shared without consent from their platforms – or face fines. While it's reassuring to see the government imposing harsher measures against platforms that profit from image-based abuse, these proposals don't go nearly as far as they should to protect victims and survivors.
“We need the government to stop repackaging existing laws and trying to sell them to us as something new.”
Daria*, 40, was horrified when she discovered intimate images of herself circulating on social media. Her ex-partner had shared the photos online after their relationship ended – and after assuring Daria that he'd deleted them. “They appeared on Twitter [now X] along with my nickname and the word ‘slut’.”
She describes the government's new proposals as “deeply problematic”. Daria argues that the government has essentially repackaged an administrative change as a “shiny new thing” because sharing intimate images without consent is already listed as a priority offence under Schedule 7 of the Online Safety Act.
She continues: “It's unclear how this strengthens Ofcom's powers [to regulate offending tech companies], and the announcement has been made without first taking into account a range of survivor stories.”
Rebecca Hitchen, Head of Policy & Campaigns at EVAW, echoes this sentiment, telling GLAMOUR, “This announcement is similar to a systems software update – necessary, administrative, but with no tangible changes as a result."
Daria stresses the need for the government to back the campaign for a comprehensive Image-Based Abuse Law, saying, “People think [image-based abuse] is something that happens only to young people […] There are black communities, there are lesbian women who are all affected by this, which is why we need the [Image-Based Abuse campaign]. We need the government to stop repackaging existing laws and trying to sell them to us as something new.”
We're calling on the government to take urgent action.
The announcement has received support from high-profile politicans, including Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips and Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones.
Alex Davies-Jones shared the following exclusive quote with GLAMOUR:
“It is truly shocking that one in three women have been a victim of online abuse, which means many of GLAMOUR’s own readers will have experienced it first-hand or know friends or family who have. It is unacceptable that intimate images are routinely spread by cowards hiding behind a screen – and the lasting impact this has on victims is often compounded by tech companies failing to take the necessary swift action to remove them.
“We have made progress in recent years in tackling intimate image abuse, strengthening the law to leave no doubt that sharing images without consent is a crime, and perpetrators will face time behind bars. But this is not just a legal issue, it’s one society as a whole must address, so if we want to see real progress, we must pull every lever available to us.
“Making the sharing intimate image offence a priority offence builds on the work that has already been done and sends a clear message – this demeaning and disgusting form of chauvinism must not become normalised, and tech companies who turn a blind eye to such degrading content on their platforms will face the full force of the law.
“This government has made a landmark commitment to halving violence against women and girls over the next decade, and today’s announcement shows we are not only supporting victims and survivors of abuse, but proactively working to prevent people being victimised online.”
“For too long, it has felt that a death toll of women is just something that we have got used to.”
Jess Phillips said, "Intimate image abuse is an appalling, invasive crime and technology companies must do much more to tackle it. We will use every tool available to achieve our unprecedented mission of halving violence against women and girls within a decade and this is an important step forward.
“The scale of violence against women and girls in all its forms is a national emergency, whether in person or online. We must overhaul every aspect of society's response to stop this abuse from happening in the first place. Platforms must take responsibility for the content they host and we must ensure victims receive the support they deserve.”
Georgia Harrison, who has previously bravely used her own experience with image-based abuse to call for tighter laws on intimate image sharing, has also supported the government's proposal. She said, "As a victim of voyeurism and image-based sexual abuse, what shocked me the most is that certain platforms were not only spreading and advertising this harmful content but also legally monetising it.
“This new legislation could have shielded me from such exploitation and, more importantly, validated that my voice matters.”
Professor Clare McGlynn, a world-leading expert on image-based abuse, tells GLAMOUR, "What survivors need and want is comprehensive change.
“They need a new criminal offence of creating sexually explicit deepfakes to tackle the root of the problem. They need to be able to go to court to get judges to order perpetrators to delete material and social media companies to take it down. They need better-funded support services to help them recover. They need a regulator, such as an Online Safety Commissioner, to fight for their interests and demand change.”
Elena Michael, campaign partner and director of Not Your Porn, notes, "There are so many more urgent issues which need to be prioritised other than seeming to reiterate that non-consensual sharing is a priority offence – this has already been done under the Online Safety Act. Therefore this announcement is potentially misleading about its scope and reach. What about all the other gaps that we’ve identified in our campaign that continue to be left unaddressed and continue to harm people?
“The Online Safety Act may be a monumental piece of legislation but that doesn’t mean it is immune from suggestions for improvement – there is a lot more that needs to be done to prevent image-based abuse and also to support survivors. We can’t leave the Revenge Porn Helpline alone to deal with this, the law needs to support survivors too.”
The results of GLAMOUR's Consent Survey are in.
Deborah Joseph, GLAMOUR's European Editorial Director, notes, “While it’s encouraging to see the new Labour government taking tentative steps to toughen the response on revenge porn, this new proposal really only scrapes the surface.
"Violence against women and girls has reached epidemic levels and advances in technology exacerbating this is truly shocking. At a parliamentary roundtable GLAMOUR held earlier this year as part of our ongoing consent campaign, we heard first-hand the impact statements of survivors of image-based abuse. Their brave words hit home the stark need to make meaningful change that actively protects against this type of horrific abuse.
"We need a complete overhaul of the existing system with a dedicated, comprehensive Image-Based Abuse law and we need it now.”
However, as Rebecca Hitchen adds, "It is reassuring to see government publicly ramp up pressure on the tech companies that facilitate and profit from abuse, but it remains to be seen as to whether these hugely powerful companies will really have their feet held to the fire, or instead shrug off the minimal attempts to constrain them.
"We know this government can be more ambitious, and will have to be if it wants to stay true to its commitment to halve violence against women and girls. As yet though, we aren't seeing anything to get excited about. We'll be watching this space, ready and waiting to celebrate any government initiatives that will meaningfully improve the lives of women and girls.”
*Names and some details have been changed to protect victims and survivors' identities and safety.
Find out more about GLAMOUR’s campaign in partnership with the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), Not Your Porn and Professor Clare McGlynn, demanding that the government introduces a dedicated, comprehensive Image-Based Abuse law to protect women and girls.
Revenge Porn Helpline provides advice, guidance and support to victims of intimate image-based abuse over the age of 18 who live in the UK. You can call them on 0345 6000 459.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
In partnership with the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Not Your Porn, and Professor Clare McGlynn.
