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NSW To Introduce Tough New Laws For Revenge Porn Criminals

The laws include a three-year jail sentence.
Twenty percent of Australians are victims of revenge porn.
AntonioGuillem via Getty Images
Twenty percent of Australians are victims of revenge porn.

People who share sexually explicit images of others without their consent could soon be subject to criminal conviction.

Attorney-General Mark Speakman is set to introduce new laws into the NSW Parliament this week, aiming to crack down on revenge porn.

The new rules include a maximum three-year jail sentence for perpetrators. The measures will also allow authorities to convict children under the age of 16.

Revenge porn is a phenomenon that involves the use of social media and messaging apps to circulate private images of someone against their knowledge or will.

Mr Speakman told The Sydney Morning Herald victims do not consent to the dissemination of private images around the world.

"Whether it be spurned lovers, domestic violence offenders or pornographers, people are humiliating, coercing and embarrassing those who provided private images," he said.

A recent study by RMIT has found that 1 in 5 young Australians are victims of the image-based abuse.

To tackle this modern form of blackmail, the Federal Government on Saturday called for public submissions on developing civil penalties that might help manage the perpetrators of revenge porn and the websites that host the images or videos.

South Australia and Victoria are one step ahead of NSW, where committing a revenge porn crime already carries heavy consequences. If the laws are passed in NSW they will come into immediate effect.

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