Experiences of Australian victims of revenge porn are set to be compared against those overseas as part of a groundbreaking study into image-based abuse.
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The Images of Me study will research the nature and impact of revenge porn in Australia as well as in New Zealand and the UK.
It's believed to be the first study where experiences of revenge porn within different nations will be compared.
Associate Professor Nicola Henry, one of the researchers leading the project, said the study aimed to find a greater understanding of the impact revenge porn has on its victims across the countries.
"We want a deeper knowledge of what has been done previously, and how that compares across the three sites," she said.
"We also want to know more about the perpetrators and what their motivations are in sharing images."
Images of Me will follow on from a 2017 study undertaken by Dr Henry and a team of Australian researchers, which found that one in five Australians had experienced imaged-based abuse.
While the research found that both women and men were equally likely to report being a victim, the perpetrators were more likely to be male and known to the victim.
Images of Me will use similar research methods to the recent Australian study and apply it to both New Zealand and the UK.
As well as comparing experiences from different countries, the study will also look at experiences across different Australian states, where different laws are in place for how revenge porn is handled.
Dr Henry praised the ACT's laws, which came into effect in August 2017, as one of the best in the country.
Under ACT legislation offenders face three years in jail or a $45,000 fine if they publish or threaten to publish intimate photos without consent.
Dr Henry said other states were following Canberra's lead in stamping out image-based abuse.
"In the Northern Territory there was an exposure draft that has been considered, which seems to be modelled on the ACT model," she said.
While studies such as Images of Me are aiming to understand more about revenge porn, Dr Henry said it was often still trivialised.
"What we have seen through research is that there are serious implications with this, and people are committing suicide or losing their jobs or even having to change their names because of it. It's a growing problem," she said.
"Hopefully the research will lead to reform in the remaining Australian jurisdictions and to understand the ways the laws are being used internationally, and hopefully our research can lead to better public awareness."
To participate in the study visit imagedbasedabuse.com
