Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Tackling Image-based Abuse

12 November 2024 · 8 other contributors · 4,413 words

Opened by Kirith Entwistle Lab Bolton North East

Responding minister: Alex Davies-Jones

Women & Equalities

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Kirith Entwistle raised concerns about tackling image-based abuse in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Image-based sexual abuse is reported to have significantly increased, with nearly 19,000 cases in 2023 compared to 1,600 in 2019.
  • Deepfake-related abuse has surged by 400% since 2017, predominantly targeting women and girls over 99% of the time.
  • The Labour Government is urged to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes and prioritize image-based abuse under the Online Safety Act.

Key requests to Government

The Labour Government should take decisive steps to address image-based abuse, including banning the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, making image-based abuse a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, and introducing an image-based abuse law with stay-down provisions and a national online abuse commission.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Kirith Entwistle Lab Bolton North East

Image-based sexual abuse is an escalating crisis with a significant impact on women and girls. In 2023, the Revenge Porn Helpline reported nearly 19,000 cases of abuse, up from just 1,600 in 2019. Deepfake-related abuse has surged by 400% since 2017, targeting women and girls over 99% of the time. Survivors often describe their experience as digital rape, highlighting a failure to ensure permanent removal of abusive content, weak regulatory enforcement, and lack of civil remedies for survivors.

Other contributors (8)
  • Caroline Dinenage Con Gosport

    She declared her interest as the former Minister for Women and Equalities who introduced the Revenge Porn Helpline. She expressed concern that deepfakes are becoming a new front in image-based abuse, disproportionately affecting women. Caroline emphasized the need to stand against the creation of sexual or nude deepfakes which threaten women's autonomy and dignity.

  • Charlotte Nichols Lab Warrington North

    She thanked the Minister for removing intent provisions in policies and requested clarification on whether non-contact offences involving intimate image abuse are covered under the criminal injuries compensation framework, suggesting discussions with ministerial colleagues to provide financial support for victims' therapy.

  • Christopher Bloore Lab Redditch

    He echoed Victoria Collins' point, highlighting the need to challenge image-based abuse on social media platforms rigorously.

  • Jim Shannon DUP Strangford

    Jim Shannon commends the hon. Lady and highlights that 96% of deepfakes surveyed online in his constituency are non-consensual pornographic materials, with 70% of targets being private individuals' photos harvested from social media.

  • Jo Platt Lab Co-op Leigh and Atherton

    Jo Platt agrees that police officers must receive consistent training on internet image abuse to better understand how the law can protect women and girls, highlighting concerns raised by Refuge.

  • Luke Myer Lab Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland

    Luke Myer questions the hon. Friend about Baroness Owen's Bill to address non-consensual sexually explicit images and videos, urging the Government to look favourably upon it.

  • Rachel Taylor Lab North Warwickshire and Bedworth

    Rachel Taylor places her interest as a member of the Women and Equalities Committee on record, stressing the need for male victims to be prioritised. She expresses alarm over online platforms not taking down images during review periods.

  • Victoria Collins Lib Dem Harpenden and Berkhamsted

    She supported the idea that Ofcom needs stronger teeth in its codes of practice to push social media companies to innovate and tackle image-based abuse at its source.

Government Response

Alex Davies-Jones

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton North East for securing a debate on this very important subject. I look forward to discussing it with her and other members of the Women and Equalities Committee later this month. This Government are absolutely committed to tackling violence against women and girls, and to restoring trust so that victims know that the justice system sees them, hears them and takes them seriously. In our election manifesto, we promised to make tackling violence against women and girls a political priority—finally, after years of neglect—with a pledge to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade. Tackling online abuse is crucial; many of us have experienced it or know friends or family who have. Women have the right to feel safe in every space, online and offline. The rise in intimate image abuse is utterly devastating for victims but also spreads misogyny on social media, which can develop into potentially dangerous relationships offline. It is an abhorrent crime, which is why the Government are determined to act. We will use all tools available to tackle it. First, we need effective criminal law; a range of offences address intimate image abuse, whether online or offline, but there are gaps in protection for victims. For example, while sharing a deepfake of an intimate image without consent is an offence, making one is not. The Government's manifesto includes a commitment to ban the creation of degrading and harmful sexually explicit deepfakes, which we will deliver swiftly in this Session of Parliament. We also need to tackle the prevalence of such content online by holding platforms responsible for stopping its spread under the Online Safety Act. Ofcom's codes of practice are being developed, with enforcement powers including fines of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying global revenue. The police must respond robustly; we will strengthen training on violence against women and girls. We also need a culture shift, especially from men, to ensure women are safe wherever they are. When someone has been the victim of intimate image abuse, they should get support, including through Government-funded helplines and specialist support organisations like Refuge. The Ministry of Justice funds services such as the rape and sexual abuse support fund and police and crime commissioners provide annual grant funding for local support services. The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 will improve support to victims of sexual abuse, including intimate image abuse, by placing a duty on local commissioners to collaborate when commissioning support services so that victims and survivors get the support they need.

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