B.C. increases amount victims can claim under intimate images act to $75K
CBC
The B.C. government has raised the ceiling to $75,000 for potential damages over intimate-image abuse.
The provincial government has made amendments to the Intimate Images Protection Act that will allow a victim to ask for the damages through the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
The previous limit was $5,000, and Attorney General Niki Sharma says the increased threshold sends a "clear message that non-consensual sharing of intimate images is unacceptable in B.C. and carries serious consequences."
The act allows people to apply through the tribunal to have their intimate images taken down, to stop further distribution and claim compensation from the person, social media company or website that shared or threatened to share the image.
The province says since the act came into force in January 2024, the tribunal has resolved 389 of the 486 submissions that it has received, while the rest are in progress.
Jennifer Blatherwick, B.C.'s parliamentary secretary for gender equity, says sharing, or threatening to share, intimate images of someone without their consent is an act of sexual violence and abuse that carries deep harm.
"Survivors of sexual violence may experience stigma that can cause intense shame and helplessness and isolation, and lead to long-term trauma. These changes to the act give survivors better protections and access to justice so they can regain a sense of autonomy and safety," Blatherwick said in a statement.
Jen Graham, program director at Children of the Street, a B.C. organization aimed at preventing the sexual exploitation and human trafficking of children, said in a statement that the impact of the change hinges on legal strength, public awareness and accessibility.
"This legislation is quite unique because it includes several support services for victims that go well beyond the enforcement mechanism for take-down orders and compensation — and British Columbians need to know about all of this for it to have the desired impact," she said.
The province says people who need help navigating the process can reach out to the Intimate Images Protection Service, which offers resources and help communicating the tribunal's orders to platforms and those who have posted the images.
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