Image-based sexual abuse

Clare McGlynn, Erika Rackley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

65 Citations (Scopus)
1584 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Advances in technology have transformed and expanded the ways in which sexual violence can be perpetrated. One new manifestation of such violence is the non-consensual creation and/or distribution of private sexual images: what we conceptualise as ‘image-based sexual abuse’. This article delineates the scope of this new concept and identifies the individual and collective harms it engenders. We argue that the individual harms of physical and mental illness, together with the loss of dignity, privacy and sexual autonomy, combine to constitute a form of cultural harm, impacting directly on individuals, as well as on society as a whole. While recognizing the limits of law, we conclude by considering the options for redress and the role of law, seeking to justify the deployment of the expressive and coercive powers of the criminal and
civil law as a means of encouraging cultural change.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)534–561
Number of pages28
JournalOxford Journal of Legal Studies
Volume37
Issue number3
Early online date31 Jan 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2017

Keywords

  • image-based sexual abuse
  • revenge porn
  • non-consensual pornography
  • cultural harm
  • cyber harassment
  • online abuse

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