Revenge porn, something that was virtually unheard of ten years ago, has risen to prominence recently, garnering much attention in the mainstream press.
Primarily, but not exclusively, it is a crime committed by men against ex-wives and girlfriends and involves the posting of intimate photos and videos online without the victim’s consent.
What makes matters worse in many cases is the fact that perpetrators often don’t stop at uploading explicit footage of their ex-partners – they frequently add personal details too, such as their names, addresses and phone numbers.
The primary reason behind revenge porn is, as the name suggests, retribution – the majority of instances feature jilted lovers who feel a real or perceived injustice over the ending of the relationship.
But there is another factor at play too – money.
While a large amount of revenge porn is posted to social media sites, many unscrupulous specialised websites have sprung up, offering their largely anonymous visitors the opportunity to upload and host media and contact details.
Owners of such sites then run other services in parallel, offering to remove the content in return for a substantial fee.
It’s not hard to see why a victim of revenge porn could be tempted to pay up under such circumstances – the existence of such material online can hurt job prospects (yes, potential and current employers do check their future and current staff out online), damage new relationships, tarnish reputations and leave the victim feeling threatened for years to come should they receive a barrage of unwelcome contact from those who find their details on the web.
What should a victim of revenge porn do?
As embarrassing as it may feel, the only real way to tackle revenge porn is to face it head on and deal with it – keeping quiet and hoping it goes away is unlikely to resolve the issue.
The most practical advice is to:
- Report it to the police as quickly as possible. Any delay could see it spread.
- Never respond to blackmail requests from an ex-partner or revenge porn website. Doing so is no guarantee that your images and other details will then be removed from the internet, but it is a guarantee that you’ll lose money.
- Contact legitimate websites and social networks and ask for assistance in removing the offending content.
- Get in touch with Google – the search engine has recently said it will remove revenge porn from search results when requested to do so.
How can the law protect you?
Though it’s taken a while – far too long many would argue – the UK now has specific legislation (previously, victims had to rely on the Communications Act 2003, the Malicious Communications Act 1988 or the Protection from Harassment Act 1997) in place to deal with revenge porn, under the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, as amended in February 2015.
The new law makes revenge porn – defined as “photographs or films which show people engaged in sexual activity or depicted in a sexual way or with their genitals exposed, where what is shown would not usually be seen in public” – a criminal offence, punishable by up to two years in prison for those sharing material and ten years in jail for anyone creating explicit photographs without consent.
Support and advice
Beyond the legal support, victims of revenge porn can also contact South West Grid for Learning (SWGL) which operates a helpline on 0845 6000 459 as well as the revengepornhelpline.org.uk website.
Anyone who wishes to contact SWGL, which offers free support and advice, can do so in complete confidence.
Alternatively, victims may prefer to speak to someone who has themselves been a victim of revenge porn, such as Folami Prehaye who runs voic.org.uk, a site that offers victims a place to share their stories anonymously, as well as receive support and advice.