The new law criminalising upskirting is a welcome addition in the fight against image-based sexual abuse but it should mark the beginning of more comprehensive and considered legislation.
That’s the view of Kent Law School Professor Erika Rackley, an expert on issues relating to image-based sexual abuse.
Professor Rackley commented: ‘Upskirting is just one form of image-based sexual abuse. Upskirting, ‘revenge porn’, ‘fake porn’, ‘sextortion’ and other forms of image-based sexual abuse all involve the non-consensual taking and/or sharing of private sexual images.
‘All of these cause serious harms to victims. Unfortunately, the law criminalising image-based sexual abuse is inconsistent and inadequate. There is still much more to be done to ensure all victims of image-based sexual abuse have access to justice.
‘What is needed is a coherent and comprehensive law criminalising all forms of image-based sexual abuse. A law which tackles all forms of non-consensual taking, creation and distribution of private, sexual images, and which provides automatic anonymity for all victim-survivors.
‘And we need to ensure that those supporting victim-survivors of image-based sexual abuse – such as the Revenge Porn Helpline and VOIC – are adequately resourced and supported.’
Professor Rackley has written widely on issues relating to image-based sexual abuse, and is currently participating in a project with colleagues in Australia, New Zealand and the UK on the prevalence and impact of image-based sexual abuse.