Share and Follow
Key Points
- It’s been 10 years since Victoria criminalised image-based sexual abuse.
- New affirmative consent rules are set to kick in to tackle the rise in image-based sexual abuse.
- Digitally created images, like deepfake pornography, fall under the definition of an intimate image under the reforms.
In 2021-22, 107 people were arrested over alleged image-based sexual abuse, while the following year more than 100 received cautions, warnings or otherwise avoided charges for distributing intimate images without consent, according to Crime Statistics Agency data.
“We know with sexual violence, generally, that it’s a tremendously under-reported crime and we expect that to be the same for sharing of intimate images,” she told AAP.
Fewer than one in 10 sexual assault victim-survivors report their abuse to police, while only one-quarter of police reports result in charges, according to Sexual Assault Services Victoria.
A further 10 per cent of cases end before they go to trial.
Read Related Also: These are the First Nations winners at the TV Week Logie Awards
What are the new changes?
Under the reforms, people must actively seek consent from sexual partners when they are involved in a sexual activity and consent must be given freely and voluntarily.
A Victorian government spokeswoman said the affirmative consent laws were a crucial step in stopping violence against women.
