Pressure for the UK Government to take appropriate action against intimate image abuse has increased after the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry which took place earlier this month, where Caroline Nokes addressed the UK Parliament around essential measures needed to prevent intimate image abuse. Subsequently the Rt. Hon Caroline Nokes has written to the Cabinet Ministers and Ofcom urging them “to take the steps necessary to require platforms remove non-consensual intimate image content and for them to do so as soon as it is reported or discovered to prevent its spread, and for internet service providers to block it.”
However, news of the General Election has paused any Government action to tackle intimate image abuse and with every day passing, more victims will be without protection.
#NotYoursToView - A Call for Change
Caroline’s delivery at the inquiry, as well as Georgia Harrison’s powerful personal account, have reaffirmed the inadequacies that are present within the UK’s current legal system that allow non-consensually shared intimate images to be viewed online, even after a perpetrator has been convicted.
Our #NotYoursToView campaign which highlights this alarming issue has already been supported by numerous organisations, including Childnet, Suzy Lamplugh Trust, The Survivors Trust, Refuge, Campaign Against Living Miserably, Marie Collins Foundation, Survive and The Cyber Helpline as well as MPs including Kate Osborne, Wendy Chamberlain, Apsana Begum, Daisy Cooper, Wera Hobhouse, Anna McMorrin, Simon Jupp, Ian Lavery, Sarah Edwards, Olivia Blake, Christine Jardine, Angela Richardson, Alex Davies -Jones, Vicky Ford, Therese Coffey, Amy Callaghan and Jess Phillips.
The call for change is so blatantly evident that the pressure for Government to take immediate action has reached new heights, in spite of the recent announcement of the general election taking place on the 4th July.
David Wright CEO of SWGfL said: “The issue is clear and regardless of the future political landscape, we must address this immediately in order to protect individuals from continuous online harm. We have seen other nations take positive steps; the White House has now called for the tech industry to shut down synthetic sexual content after the rise of this AI generated imagery.
Now, the UK Government must acknowledge that more action needs to be taken against NCII content and make the necessary amendments to the current legal framework to ensure that individuals are fully protected against non-consensual intimate image abuse. An election should not delay anything, this is happening right now, and we encourage all political parties to ensure this essential amendment is included as part of their manifestos!”
Our response demands immediate action and a prioritised response from all parties, to ensure everyone can gain access to essential protections against intimate image abuse. If you want to find out about what happened at the Women and Equalities Committee inquiry, you can read what was discussed here. You can also learn about the need for the #NotYoursToView campaign below.
