Queensland Government responds to image-based abuse through new laws
The Queensland Government announced in mid-February 2019 that ‘Revenge Porn’ is now considered a criminal offence across the state. The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath recently announced the new laws which will see perpetrators facing up to three years’ jail time.
‘Revenge Porn’, a colloquial term for the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, is a harmful act committed by perpetrators seeking to shame a person through sharing or threatening to share images, visual recordings or photo shopped images designed to portray a person in an intimate or sexual way.
According to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner 2017 National Survey: Summary Report, 1 in 5 women aged 18-45 have had an intimate image shared without their consent, with women twice as likely to be victims of image-based abuse than men.
The amendment to the Criminal Code 1896 will strengthen the justice response by placing responsibility on offenders, whilst also ensuring victims are better supported by the new laws.