Assam observes growth in ‘Revenge Porn’

NP NEWS ONLINE- Reverse porn, the sharing of private, sexual materials, either photos or videos, of another person without their consent and with the purpose of causing embarrassment or distress which can at least psychologically damage the victim.

 Sadly, Assam has recorded a surprising increase in the number of ‘revenge porn’- a phrase used to describe crimes in which culprits use intimate images taken during a relationship to blackmail the victim or shame them by circulating the image with others- cases in the last few years.

Apparently, out of 696 cybercrime cases registered in Assam in 2016, at least 114 were related to publication or transmission of obscene and sexually explicit content in electronic form. The official number for 2017, which is yet to be calculated, is expected to increase. In 2015, about 61 such cases were reported. However, no cases of sexual exploitations were reported in 2014.

The state police arrested 699 people in relation with such cases in 2016, out of which charge sheets were filed against 117 people and only three were convicted. Records say that in about 140 cases, complaints were true but there was lack of evidence.

Ahmedabad woman’s ex-husband shared intimate pictures they had taken on their honeymoon on Facebook to get back at her for leaving him. Later in Ahmedabad, a woman’s ex-husband shared intimate pictures they had taken on their honeymoon on Facebook to get back at her for leaving him.

Unfortunately, there is no law in India specifically directed against revenge porn and its victims. The police have to usually fall back upon the Information Technology Act 2000 to file FIRs in these cases.

Whereby, many states in abroad like- Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey,  New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin have started passing legislation to criminalize revenge porn. Over half the states have passed laws explicitly banning revenge porn.