A campaign is launched today to raise awareness of the consequences of illegally sharing other people’s personal images.
Attorney General Simon Harris said the goal of the Serious Consequences initiative is to empower victims by making them aware of the laws and protections available.
Although the law was passed in 2021, new research has found that half the population does not know that it is a crime to threaten to release another person’s personal photo, reports RTE.
Secretary Harris said he wanted to change this so people would be aware of their rights.
He said the threat of sharing such images can be a form of coercive control or used to blackmail people for financial gain.
But whatever the reason or motivation, it’s a crime, he said, and there could be serious consequences.
“Whatever a person’s motivation for threatening to share an intimate image of another person, it is a crime through Coco’s Law which Minister McEntee enacted in 2021 and which is now seen across Europe as a pioneering piece of legislation. Research carried out on behalf of my Department shows that half the population does not know that this is illegal. We want to change that,” Minister Harris said, reports RTE.
In September 2021, following the enactment of the Coco Act (the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offenses Act 2020), the Department of Justice launched the first phase of a campaign to raise awareness and make people more aware it’s better about the misuse of personal images. strict laws to combat it.
Information and video messages are broadcast on radio and television, shown in cinemas and promoted on social media, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.