SHARING, TRADING, SELLING OF REVENGE PORN

More and more victims are being traumatised by this harrowing crime

Imagine an ex partner publishing an intimate photo of you on the internet. A million eyes suddenly viewing a picture you’d shared with someone you’d trusted wholeheartedly. It’s almost too much to bear… Yet, thousands of women are victims of revenge porn, a shocking crime that is sadly on the rise, with a 40% increase in cases between 2020 and 2021.

And now, a BBC Panorama investigation has uncovered a disturbing new trend of sharing, trading and selling explicit images on social media platform Reddit.

Professor Penney Lewis from the Law Commission, says, ‘Sharing intimate images of a person without their consent can be incredibly distressing and harmful for victims, with the experience often scarring them for life. Current laws on taking or sharing sexual or nude images of someone without their consent are inconsistent, based on a narrow set of motivations and do not go far enough to cover disturbing and abusive new behaviours born in the smartphone era.’

Woman’s Own speaks to a victim of revenge porn about how she coped and how she overcame it.

For support and advice, contact the Revenge Porn Helpline: 0345 6000 459 or visit revengepornhelpline. org.uk