Domestic Violence Refuges: Charities and Local Government
Debate between Baroness Morgan of Cotes and Baroness Scott of Bybrook(9 months ago)
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Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)
I absolutely accept that. We need to keep that in mind when we look at domestic violence.
Baroness Morgan of Cotes (Con)
My Lords, one of the places where abusers encounter their victims is the online world. Does my noble friend agree that it is important that her department considers funding for charities offering online support to victims, including the excellent Revenge Porn Helpline?
Online Harms: Intimate Images
Debate between Baroness Morgan of Cotes and Baroness Scott of Bybrook
Baroness Morgan of Cotes
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect those threatened with the sharing of intimate images online.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)
My Lords, we are committed to making the UK the safest place to be online and to introducing online harms legislation establishing a new duty of care on companies towards users. Activities involving sharing or threatening to share intimate images are captured by the existing offences tackling revenge pornography: harassment, malicious communications, blackmail and coercive or controlling behaviour. However, we have asked the Law Commission to review the law in this area to ensure that victims are properly protected.
Baroness Morgan of Cotes (Con) [V]
I thank my noble friend for that Answer, but I do not think that it is clear that threats to share intimate images online are covered in law. We know that perpetrators of domestic abuse are increasingly using technology and the internet to abuse and control their partners and ex-partners. One in seven young women has experienced this form of abuse. The abuse is happening now. I urge Ministers to take the opportunity of the Domestic Abuse Bill arriving in our Chamber shortly to outlaw threats to share intimate images and not to wait for the Law Commission to report in due course.
Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)
At Report in the Commons, as my noble friend probably realises, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office set out the Government’s position in relation to existing offences and the need to consider carefully the outcome of the Law Commission’s comprehensive review of law in this area, but the Government will of course consider any similar amendments to that tabled in the Commons proposed in this House very carefully.