Tag Archives: Internet Crime

ITV This Morning Interview

imageMy interview on This Morning  was the beginning of something that I hoped would help others going through what I had experienced and bring the issue to the mainstream audience. Little did I know how this exposure would affect, not only me as an individual trying to make good of a bad situation but also how the topic of ‘Revenge Porn’ is viewed by others.

It was definitely an opportunity I could not possibly ignore. I am on a mission to empower and support others by showing my strength and commitment to something very close to home. I have experienced mixed emotions and at times thought….

“Maybe I should have crawled under a rock and kept quiet”

In hindsight I received a lot of support and have had publicity interests to help highlight  what I am doing, which has empowered me even more to reach my aspirational goals. There have also been those negative hurtful comments that you allow to ‘niggle’ away at your inner core. It’s  easier for other people to make judgement or indeed feed on another persons misfortune.

The hardest part of this journey so far has been learning how to become a sieve, to be resilient and not let negativity get into your space.

Here is the link to my interview http://www.itv.com/thismorning/hot-topics/revenge-porn-victim-folami-prehaye

 

Revenge porn to be criminal offence with threat of two years in jail

New legislation will punish practice of sharing sexually explicit media on internet without consent, says justice secretary

Pornography website on a computer
The new offence will cover the release of explicit images online and in the form of printed pictures. 

Revenge pornography – sharing sexually explicit images of former partners without their consent – is to become a criminal offence punishable by up to two years in prison.

The legislation is to be introduced into the criminal justice and courts bill that is currently going through parliament, the justice secretary, Chris Grayling, has announced.

There has been mounting political pressure to outlaw the practice of humiliating former lovers by posting intimate pictures of them online.

Among those pressing for a change to the law has been the former culture secretary, Maria Miller. Others have argued that the problem is already covered by existing laws against obscenity or blackmail.

The new offence will cover the release of explicit images both online and in the form of printed pictures.

The justice secretary said: “The fact that there are individuals who are cruelly distributing intimate pictures of their former partners without their consent is almost beyond belief.

“We want those who fall victim to this type of disgusting behaviour to know that we are on their side and will do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.

“That is why we will change the law and make it absolutely clear to those who act in this way that they could face prison.”

The minister for women and equalities, Nicky Morgan, added: “Circulating intimate photos of an individual without their consent is never acceptable. People are entitled to expect a reasonable level of respect and privacy.

“It is right that those who do circulate these images are held to account, and that we educate young people to the hurt that can be caused by breaking this trust.”

The new legislation will mean that images posted to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will be caught by the offence, as well as those that are shared via text message.

Images shared via email, on a website or the distribution of physical copies will also be caught, the MoJ said. Those convicted will face a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

The offence will apply to photographs or films that 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”.

Other laws may still be used to prosecute the sending of sexual images such as the Communications Act 2003 or the Malicious Communications Act 1988.

Treat Revenge Porn As A Crime

We must treat revenge porn as the crime it is

Internet providers need clarity in the law to remove what should be illegal material

hand on a laptop

The Prime Minister has said that revenge pornography is an appalling offence Photo: Alamy

Is this an example of the online world running faster than the laws we live by?

Over the past six months I have spoken to numerous victims, all women, who have suffered the impact of revenge pornography. It is clear that many feel they have suffered a virtual form of sexual assault that can continue for months, or even years if the images are not tracked down and removed successfully. Work done by other organisations in the online safety world indicates that this is a problem acutely affecting gay men too. Some pictures are posted on social media websites; others are sent to bespoke “revenge porn” sites, where non-consensual photography is now a category in its own right.

Existing laws are simply not effective. Posting revenge porn is not necessarily harassment; it’s not always grossly offensive nor indecent. But it is extreme humiliation, using sex to wreck the victim’s personal life and jeopardise employment prospects in the future.

Yesterday the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) issued new guidance on posting revenge pornography online. In publishing this new guidance, the DPP has acknowledged that the law is far from clear. But we knew that already. Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, who leads the investigation of harassment and stalking in England and Wales, has said clearly that revenge pornography is not of itself a crime in this country.

I welcome anything that can help victims who have suffered for too long without any protection – but nothing short of a change in the law will send a clear and unambiguous message to the perpetrators that this is a criminal offence which merits a serious criminal sanction.

In the US, numerous states have been forced to pass legislation to protect private citizens from the growing problem of revenge pornography. The same is true in Canada and Israel. It really is now time for the British Parliament to act, too.

In July, when I raised the issue directly with the Prime Minister, he acknowledged that revenge pornography is an appalling offence and that it “clearly has criminal intent”. The Lord Chancellor himself has recognised that it is becoming a bigger problem in society and that appropriate action may need to be taken.

Most victims just want the material to be removed so they can get on with their lives, but internet service providers need clarity in the law so they can have protocols in place for removing what should be illegal material.

In October there is an opportunity to give that clarity and make a change in the law, to send a message loud and clear to the perpetrators of this horrendous crime that in posting such images online they risk a serious criminal record. The Justice and Sentencing Bill has to be amended as it passes through the Lords to make posting revenge pornography a criminal offence.

Maria Miller is a former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport