A campaign is being launched today to raise awareness of the consequences of illegally sharing intimate images of others.
Minister for Justice Simon Harris said the aim of the 'Serious Consequences' initiative was to seek to empower victims by making them aware of the legislation and protections available.
Although legislation was passed in 2021, new research has found that half the population is unaware that threatening to publish an intimate photograph of someone else is a crime.
Minister Harris said he wants to change this so that people are aware of their rights.
He said that threatening to share such images can be a form of coercive control or used to blackmail people for financial gain.
But whatever the reason or motivation, it is a crime, he said, and carries potentially 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.
In September 2021, following on from the commencement of Coco's Law (the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020), the Department of Justice launched the first phase of a campaign to raise awareness of intimate image abuse and to better inform people of the strong legislation in place to combat it.
Information notices and videos will be broadcast on radio and television, shown in cinemas and publicised on social media.
