B.C. looks to strengthen intimate images law with amendment
Global News
The amendment proposes an increase for the maximum amount of money victims can seek from their abusers to $75,000, a figure 14 times higher than the current limit.
The British Columbia government is strengthening legislation that protects people whose intimate images have been shared without their consent, a crime Attorney General Niki Sharma described as a form of sexualized violence.
Sharma told a news conference as the fall legislative session got underway in Victoria on Monday that she would table a bill to amend the province’s Intimate Images Protection Act, which came into force in January 2024.
“Sharing someone else’s intimate images without consent is a crime. Whether it is done with the goal of extorting money, blackmailing someone, or as a tool for emotional abuse, it is wrong,” she said.
The bill allows cabinet to raise the maximum amount of money victims can seek from abusers through the Civil Resolution Tribunal, and Sharma said she would recommend it be set at $75,000, a figure 14 times higher than the current limit.
“We’re adding more ways for victims to get justice, the justice that they deserve, and ensure that they can receive better compensation for the harms that they’ve endured.”
Sharma said the Civil Resolution Tribunal is handling 381 cases related to intimate images and nearly 700 people have reached out to the province’s dedicated support service since the legislation was passed.
She said victims are often left feeling ashamed and many “suffer in silence,” choosing not to pursue legal action against perpetrators because of the stigma associated with creating intimate images.
The blame for sexualized violence must be shifted from victims to perpetrators, “where it squarely belongs,” she said.
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