Understanding revenge pornography: public perceptions of revenge pornography and victim blaming

Abstract

Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research 2 AbstractPurpose: The disclosure of private images with the intent of causing distress is often described as 'revenge pornography'. In the UK, this newly legislated crime has received a high level of media attention following several high profile cases, however there is a paucity of research in this area.Methods: 168 adults (UK general public) completed an online survey using a vignette approach. Views of the influence of perpetrator-victim relationship length and reason for termination were considered alongside perception of an offence, the necessity of police intervention, what extent revenge pornography creates psychological harm in victims, and victim blaming.Findings: Perpetrator-victim relationship length and reason for relationship breakdown did not influence perceptions of victim blame. Participants believed that the situation described in the vignettes was likely to be an offence, and that police intervention is somewhat necessary. Participants believed that the scenario was 'very likely' to create fear, and 'moderately likely' to create psychological/mental harm in victims. In line with the literature relating to stalking and sexual assault, men blamed the victim significantly more than women. Furthermore, women rated police intervention significantly more necessary than men. Implications:The public are recognising that revenge pornography is an offence, with consequences being fear and psychological harm, showing an awareness of the impact on victims. However, there are sex differences in the perceptions of revenge pornography and victim blame and this could be addressed by raising awareness of this crime. This research, which highlights that the public are aware of some of the harm caused, may encourage victims in coming forward to report such a crime. Originality:There is a paucity of research into revenge pornography, and this study is one of the first in this area.

Police Officer Perceptions of Non-consensual Dissemination of Intimate Images

“…The results strengthen previous reports of victim-blaming in cases of NCII (Bothamley and Tully, 2018;Scott and Gavin, 2018) and add to the limited body of evidence on law enforcement victim-blaming. As NCII is a form of sexual violence, the results can be interpreted within the framework of gendered stereotypical thinking, similar to the one seen toward victims of rape.…”

“…Media coverage of high-profile cases has also contributed to increased awareness of the problem (e.g., famous Hollywood actresses whose intimate photos were stolen and disseminated, local cases of large-scale dissemination of intimate materials of anonymous women, or cases involving local celebrities). Yet, being a relatively new phenomenon, only a few studies have addressed the issue of perceptions of NCII (Bothamley and Tully, 2018;Scott and Gavin, 2018;Zvi and Shechory-Bitton, 2020). To our knowledge, only one study has addressed the issue of police officers, examining 783 UK police officers and their knowledge of and experience with NCII cases (Bond and Tyrrell, 2018).…”

Intrasexual competition as a predictor of women’s judgements of revenge pornography offending

“…Recent research into public perceptions of revenge pornography in the UK found sex differences in victim blaming, with men being significantly more likely to do this than women (Bothamley & Tully, 2018). This is consistent with victim blaming in relation to a range of sexual offences (McCaul, Veltum, Boyechko, & Crawford, 1990).…”

“…Each item is rated using a scale anchored from "Not at all/Very unlikely" to "Definitely/Very likely". Whereas Bothamley and Tully's (2018) original vignettes framed the mode of image dissemination as posting images online, we instead framed the act of revenge pornography as distributing images amongst a friendship group. The rationale for this was to avoid potential ceiling effects of participant responses.…”

Attributions of victim responsibility in revenge pornography

“…Two recent revenge pornography scenario studies have examined the relationship between numerous extra-legal factors and perceptions of revenge pornography. Bothamley and Tully (2018) found that, compared to women, men were more likely to blame the victim, and to perceive the situation as less serious in terms of the need for police intervention and potential mental harm to the victim. Extending this, Scott and Gavin (2018) report that these sex differences in perceptions of seriousness occur only in cases involving a male perpetrator and a female victim.…”