Don’t blame the victims
There is no defence for taking part in revenge porn. It’s disgusting and a black mark on society when naked images are uploaded to anonymous photo sharing websites.
Of course, not everyone shares intimate and naked photos with their partners.
And, some commentators have told victims that they should have known better than sharing intimate images in the first place.
But that doesn’t give us the right to blame the victim. In fact, it’s against the law to post intimate images of someone online without their consent. The Criminal Code of Canada clearly spells out that in section 162.1 as Islander Brian Robert Joseph MacAdam found out in September when he was sentenced to 21 months in jail for the offence. In fact, MacAdam posted 41 intimate images of women to a website without their consent, including images of a 17-year-old girl, which also netted him a oneyear sentence for distributing child pornography.
One of MacAdam’s female victims told The Guardian that, even a year after finding out about the online photos, she is still struggling with anxiety and depression. The experience has affected her personal and work life. She was embarrassed as people contacted her to let her know that her naked photos and name were posted online. As well, strangers were trying to add her as a friend on Facebook and sent her messages.
In court, she read a victim impact statement explaining that she felt trapped and unsafe.
Months later, she learned to stop blaming herself after undergoing therapy.
But that hasn’t stopped others from blaming her. She recalled that her dealings with the Charlottetown police were good, except for some officers who told her she should have known better than to send someone that type of image.
As already mentioned, in general, intimate images are shared between partners in a relationship. The fact that they’re shared electronically means the run the risk of being shared around the world online if the relationship ends or the messages are hacked.
But that doesn’t factor into someone’s decision to share the image in the first place. Relationships are built on trust. And, if the relationship ends, a woman should expect that her former partner will have some decency and not humiliate her online.
If you’re still not convinced, then put yourself in their shoes. How would you feel about having naked photos of yourself and your name posted on the internet for everyone to see?