They were images which began as an intimate exchange between two lovers, with no intention to be shown to the world.
Farrah Jones was shocked to find her private, intimate images shared on the internet. What began as a private sharing of images with her ex-boyfriend turned into a public viewing.
Farrah is just one of the hundreds of Australian women to fall victim to revenge porn which is the “sharing of private sexual images and recordings of a person without their consent, with the intention to cause that person harm”.
Like many other revenge porn victims, Farrah’s images were shared after a breakup with her boyfriend with the intention to humiliate her online. “When I first took these photos I had …show more content…
Despite this, some other states still lack effective laws.
A senate committee looked into the issue earlier in the year and made many recommendations.
The committee recommended that there should be a federal offence against revenge porn to protect all women no matter what state they live in Australia.
Nicola Henry agreed with this recommendation in an online journal article and believes it will ensure more women are protected.
“The majority of the 32 submissions made to the Senate inquiry support the criminalisation of revenge pornography” Ms Henry said.
“As the Law Council of Australia explained, a federal criminal offence would offer a "uniform approach" across Australian states and territories. This is important "in the digital age where images can be distributed and accessed instantly in any jurisdiction".
Despite a growing push to create effective criminal offences, Nicola believes the law won’t be able to solve the issue on its own.
“While specific federal legislation criminalising revenge pornography is overdue; any new law should not be relied upon as the only mechanism for addressing these harmful behaviours”. She