“It’s one of the most dehumanising aspects of intimate image abuse that we see,” says Zara Ward, senior helpline practitioner at RPH. “People would rather think perpetrators of intimate image abuse are either perverts or an extremely malicious ‘other’ type of person,” she says. “I have moments of shame I can’t control, moments when this fear arises that I can’t predict. Sharing intimate images without consent is the bottom line and that’s what should be illegal.”There are signs that things will change. The Law Commission review of the laws around intimate image abuse began in 2019; the final report this spring is expected to make nonconsensual sharing an offence.

Source: The Guardian January 06, 2022 21:46 UTC