Ahead of the
“upskirting” bill coming before Parliament on Monday, Labour is
calling on the Tories to bring forward legislation in
Government time to ensure greater legal protection to “revenge
porn” victims by granting them anonymity, a move that
would bring the offence in line with other sexual
crimes.
Victims are not
currently granted anonymity when they go to the police or to
court. This has led to victims not supporting charges for fear
of their names being reported in the press.
Victims of a sexual
offence have automatic anonymity under the Sexual Offences Act
2003. However, due to Image-Based Sexual Abuse (commonly known
as “revenge porn”) not currently being classified as a sexual
offence, victims are not granted this right when they pursue
charges. Campaigners believe that the lack of anonymity
contributes to one in three allegations of revenge porn being
withdrawn by the complainant, but the Government has previously
refused to commit to changing the law.
Labour is calling for
Image-Based Sexual Abuse to be classed as a sexual offence in
order to close the current loophole in the law and ensure
victims are automatically entitled to the protection of
anonymity.
MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister
for Women and Equalities, said:
“People who post revenge
porn to try and humiliate their partners or exes are committing
a serious, warped sexual offence, and should be treated as so
by law.
“The Government must act
to grant anonymity to victims of this vile crime, which has
destroyed lives and sadly pushed some to taking their own
lives. The Tories should ensure parliamentary time is given to
change this law, which Labour will be proud to
support.”
MP, Labour’s Shadow
Justice Secretary, said:
“Laws to tackle sexual
abuse need to be brought into the 21st century. It is a gross
injustice that victims of Image-Based Sexual Abuse, who have
already had their privacy violated in a disgusting betrayal of
trust, face having their identity made public when seeking to
pursue charges.
“It puts pressure on
victims not to do so and lets perpetrators off the hook. The
law needs to change. The Tories must act.”
Ends
Notes to
editors
-
The director of
Victim Support said people may be reluctant to bring
charges if they fear their name will be made public:
“Without anonymity a victim testifying in court faces the
very real risk of their name and details being reported in
the press, which could also lead to the offending images or
videos being shared more widely. [Victims] need to have
confidence that they will be treated sensitively and
respectfully, and a guarantee of anonymity would surely
encourage more victims to report these serious
offences.” https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/sep/06/campaigners-call-for-revenge-porn-victims-to-be-given-anonymity
