2019-05-22
As a new report finds that attitudes towards intimate images are not keeping up with legislative change, the ACT Greens have today called for expanded community education programs to tackle ‘troubling’ attitudes around intimate image abuse in the Territory.
It comes as a new report finds that young people are confused about the sharing of nude or intimate images, with over a quarter blaming the woman for sending the image, instead of blaming her partner or ex-partner for sharing it without her consent.
Today the ACT Greens have called for more comprehensive education in schools to tackle these attitudes—long before intimate image abuse takes place. In 2017, the Greens advocated strongly for major reform of intimate image abuse laws, before stronger legislated protections and criminalisation for non-consensual sharing of intimate images were later realised.
“We’ve clearly come a long way in improving the laws around intimate image abuse in the Territory, and the Greens are proud to have led this important discussion in our Assembly,” ACT Greens spokesperson for Women Caroline Le Couteur said today.
“That said, we still have an enormous way to go to tackle the kind of attitudes that lead to intimate image abuse. This latest report tells us that many young people are still confused about what consent is, and what constitutes controlling behaviours such as non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
“We need to send a clear message that it’s just not okay to send intimate images of a person to others, without their consent. It’s also not okay to share these images with other people, or on social media, without their consent.
“More comprehensive community education, specifically targeting young people, is needed to help them clearly understand what consent means, and what respectful relationships look like.
“Programs are already underway in our schools to teach students about respectful relationships and cyber-safety. That said, we believe this education should specifically deal with intimate image abuse, as well as defining what consent is, and what it’s not, and how to negotiate it,” Ms Le Couteur added.
Statement ends
Media contact
Lisa Wills M 0481 035 764 E lisa.wills@act.gov.au