Legislation passed by Oireachtas criminalises the sharing of intimate images without consent
Justice Minister Helen McEntee announced the legislation's passing this evening. Picture: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie
A bill that criminalises the sharing of intimate images without consent has been passed by the Oireachtas this evening.
The Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017 tackles a wide range of offences including online harassment and was first introduced by Labour Party TD Brendan Howlin in 2017.
The bill has become informally known as "Coco's Law" after Nicole Fox Fenlon, 21, who died by suicide following a prolonged period of online abuse in 2018.
She was affectionately known as ‘Coco’, a name that came about because her little cousin couldn’t pronounce ‘Nicole’.
Ms Fox's mother, Jackie Fox, has campaigned for stricter punishment measures for online abuse.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee announced the bill's passing this evening on Twitter.
"Coco’s Law has passed. This new legislation will make the sharing of intimate images without someone’s consent a crime.
"It is abuse and should never be tolerated. It’s up to all of us to call out and report this kind of behaviour when we encounter it," said Ms McEntee.
The Justice Minister said the provisions of the bill have been "strongly influenced by persons who have lost their lives because of online abuse, in particular Nicole Fox" and thanked Jackie Fox for her advocacy of the issue. Ms McEntee also thanked Mr Howlin for championing the bill.
Welcoming the Bill, Mr Howlin said the new regulations are very important as technology advances and that he is thinking of families who have been affected by online abuse.
“This is a very important piece of legislation. Our harassment laws have not changed since the advent of text messaging and we now live in a very different age in terms of online communication.
“Today I am thinking most of the parents and family members who worked with me to ensure this became law, in honour of lost daughters, sons and family members, and all those who have been damaged by online abuse.
“We all know the often-tragic consequences of online harassment and image based sexual abuse and the passage into law of this important Bill will ensure that the perpetrators of this vile abuse will be brought to justice," said Mr Howlin.
The bill comes after the alleged sharing of thousands of intimate images of Irish women online.
The images came to public attention when Victims’ Alliance, a victim advocacy group, uncovered thousands of images of Irish people being shared on internet forums such as Discord.
The first part of the law would see those who share intimate images without people’s consent with intent to cause harm jailed for up to seven years and facing an unlimited fine.
The second would make it an offence to take, distribute or publish an intimate image of someone without their consent, regardless of the intent to cause harm. This will be punishable by 12 months in prison and/or a €5,000 fine.
All types of media will be included in the legislation due to the continuing evolution of social media.
Anyone who has been negatively affected by the sharing of their intimate images without consent can contact Women’s Aid Ireland. Their 24-hour helpline is 1800 341900.
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