Maria Miller only heard about revenge porn for the first time this May this year when a young female victim contacted the then minister for Women and Equalities (she also looked after the brief for Culture, Media and Sport a the time) to tell her about the new form of online abuse: Mostly women having nude and sexually explicit pictures of themselves posted online, without their knowledge and without their consent, on dedicated websites. 'She vividly described how this ‘leaves the victim feeling powerless”, says Miller, 'these are ordinary women, who had been in loving relationships, where nude or sexually explicit pictures had been taken in private.' Miller, was horrified and appalled.
Through Twitter, she went on to meet other victims. ‘Women but also gay men enduring the most horrific situation of naked sexually explicit pictures of them being posted online without their permission. And finding it almost impossible to get them removed.’ She found victims ‘traumatized.’ ‘Some felt as if they’d been raped online. That’s the way they described it to me.’
2014 has been a mixed year for breasts, women’s bodies, and images of female sexuality. On Twitter, the debate continues to rage over the limits of sexual freedom. In Parliament Square, faces have been sat on. On Instagram #nipplegate protesters demanded women's right to Post-topless selfies. Meanwhile other feminists campaign to end Page 3. Some feminists make porn; some fight it, some both. 2014 was also the year of too-chirpily-named The Fappening: The gross leaking of hundreds of sexual images of mainly female celebrities. Jennifer Lawrence called it ‘A Sex Crime’. Although it is yet to be punished as such. It’s against this backdrop that Miller, now a backbencher, has pushed through new legislation criminalizing revenge porn. And, in doing so, has brought new clarity to the discussions of female sexuality that have dominated the year.
When you withdraw consent for something sexual, that’s the basis for rape law in this country. People have the right to have control over their own bodies.
Until now some critics have castigated women for taking sexual images of themselves. But Miller’s law is supportive of victims. To her the debate is not around censoring women, it is a simple question of consent. ‘When you withdraw consent for something sexual, that’s the basis for rape law in this country. People have the right to have control over their own bodies.’ ‘It’s for people to do what they want on the privacy of their own mobile phones.’ And for the record she’s not against glamour modeling. “I personally don’t campaign against Page 3. Women should have the right to lead their lives they way they want to’ she says, adding the caveat ‘within the law.’
If women wish to be portrayed in that sexual way then that is fine. But if they don’t wish that to happen then they should have the ability to call in the law. I want to give people the right to have control over the way they’re portrayed through the Internet.’
Miller was forced to resign from her Cabinet role as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport earlier this year over an expenses row, which meant that out of 22 seats in the cabinet, women only hold three. Miller was also the only mother to hold a cabinet position. But she says leaving cabinet has given her freedom to focus and speak freely on issues that matter to her. She has used that effectively in pushing legislation to criminalize revenge porn.
Until now if you were a victim of revenge porn – and someone (so often an ex, so often a man) posted a sexual picture of you online without your consent there wasn’t a lot you could do about it. Revenge porn was tackled under the malicious Communications act and the harassment act, both are limited. The malicious communications act refers primarily to words rather than images. And posting imagines online doesn’t constitute harassment unless posted repeatedly.
What Miller fought for was a specific law addressing revenge porn particularly. Two weeks ago it came in. Although it did not – as Miller had hoped – classify revenge porn as sexual violence, the amendment to The Criminal Justice and Sentencing Bill has made it a criminal offense carrying up to a two-year prison sentence.
Miller comes across as a kind person. One who is empathic. For one thing, she doesn’t baulk when I arrive ten minutes late for our interview - instead she gets me a coffee and jokes about how everyone feels terrible on Monday mornings. Secondly, she seems like an MP to genuinely listen to and cares about the people whose cause she’s championing.
She was appalled, she says, at the initial resistance her campaign met. And shocked by how judgmental people were of the victims. ‘I found it incredibly worrying and unacceptable that some individuals felt the women in question really deserved to have those photographs posted if they’d been taken in the first place. That’s absolutely appalling to have that view expressed.’
She says such some remarks ‘reminded me of the sorts of comments around when rape laws were tightened – “if she dressed like that she deserved it.” I think that sort of prehistoric attitude is something that’s absolutely unacceptable that women should fight.’
We now have more women in work than ever before and more women achieving leadership positions, we're making more noise and it's being heard.
Does she see revenge porn as a women’s issue? ‘I don’t think we should see this specifically as a gender related issue,’ she says, ‘but I do think it’s a huge issue for women. Increasingly we’re seeing women being marginalized from the Internet because of their fear of being abused.
‘I think 2014 will be recognised as a tipping point' she adds, ‘where people, especially women, no longer accept that the internet can be used as a weapon of intimidation outside of the law.' As women we still face prejudice and institutional sexism in our every day lives. We now have more women in work than ever before and more women achieving leadership positions, we're making more noise and it's being heard.’
The law may be in place, but will it really make any impact in 2015? Miller says her focus for next year is making sure ‘it bites.’ This involves police training in taking evidence in revenge pornography cases and industry standard ways of acting and reporting incidents. Miller wants victims supported by industry-funded helplines.
‘There’s more to do. All of us have got a role to play. The Internet’s no longer a Wild West where anything goes. We want to have an Internet and social media that’s responsible.’
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.