Kildare TD looking to push through legislation to combat 'revenge porn'

Kildare TD Fiona O'Loughlin is pushing for legislation to be passed that will combat the issue of revenge porn.

The new phenomenon, which has become especially prevalent in the social media age, can have a damaging impact on the lives of the persons involved and their family and friends, with the Law Reform Commission stating that it also has links to serious psychological harm for the person involved.

According to Deputy O'Loughlin, Gardaí have noted that there has been a major increase in the number of instances involving revenge porn.

Deputy O’Loughlin stated; “Loopholes in our current legislation need to be closed to address unfortunate modern realities such as cyber-stalking and revenge porn.  We need to act now to ensure our laws are up to date and can efficiently prosecute offenders.  Until the law is passed, victims remain unprotected, meaning people should be very cautious about sending intimate photos online. The current legislation, which was enacted in 1997, is completely out of date because it does not deal with smart phones or the advent of social media. There are many loopholes that can be exploited at this point in time”.

“I asked the Taoiseach about the legislation surrounding revenge porn in October 2017 and he said he was not sure but that his office would come back to me on it. I have not heard anything since. Ireland is completely behind the curve in dealing with this as we have no legislation in place to deal with revenge porn and help protect the victims of it. New legislation is currently in a consultation period at the Department of Justice and new laws will hopefully come into effect this year which will make it illegal to intentionally post intimate images of a person online without their consent.”

Deputy O'Loughlin concluded that this issue needs to be tackled quickly, while also issuing advice for those who may be victims.

“We absolutely have to deal with this and we have to act to protect the many victims who remain unprotected. The Women’s Aid website is a useful resource to consult for information about revenge porn.  They also have a Freephone helpline on 1800 341 900.”