Australia now has more states and territories with specific revenge porn laws than those without. But they may not be the most effective way to tackle the problem.
Image-based abuse, more commonly known as ‘revenge porn’, affects many Australians from across diverse communities and in different types of relationships.
On Q&A, panellist Faustina Agolley questioned whether there were laws protecting against revenge porn in Australia. As it turns out, it all depends on where you live.
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield told Q&A that the Children’s eSafety Commissioner has investigated 11,000 cases of cyberbullying and can fine social media firms $17,000 a day. Is that true?
Telling girls and young women to ‘be careful what images you share’ contributes to the shaming and humiliation of victims by placing the responsibility back onto them for their own humiliation.
The ephemeral social media platform Snapchat is a hit with young people. And while it can lead to risky behaviour, it can also encourage creative experimentation and socialisation.
Susan Hopkins, University of Southern Queensland and Jenny Ostini, University of Southern Queensland
In the social media age, perpetrators can devastate their partner or ex-partner psychologically, socially and financially, while remaining cloaked in anonymity from cyberspace.
Women and men are just as likely to report experiencing any form of digital harassment and abuse. However, the nature and impacts of these online harms differ significantly by gender and age.
The internet, smartphones and social media mean that extensive sharing of private images without consent is far easier than in the past. And the severity of the harm victims suffer is far greater.
Cyberhate would deny women their full democratic rights as citizens, yet this is trivialised and dismissed – just as sexual violence, discrimination and workplace harassment have been for decades.