Dutch coalition party D66 wants revenge porn to be classified as a sex crime

The D66 wants to classify revenge porn - posting someone’s nude photos or videos online against their will - as a sex crime. Placing the crime under the Sexual Offenses Act gives victims more rights, D66 parliamentarian Hanneke van der Werf told RTL Nieuws.

Revenge porn is already punishable in the Netherlands but is considered an “invasion of privacy” and not a sex crime. “I think the legislation under which it now falls does not do justice to the burden that the victims of these types of crimes have.”

Victims’ photos and videos are often shared online for years. And there’s little victims can do about it. “With the new law, victims can more easily claim assistance from, for example, the vice squad or a sex crime lawyer. This can help victims because they can then find out how to deal with this with assistance.”

A looming sex crime conviction may also deter perpetrators from revenge porn. “I hope that this gives more severity to the crime and that it deters perpetrators, which will hopefully reduce the number of victims,” Van der Werf said.

The Victim Support Fund would also like to see revenge porn and other forms of online sexual abuse, like sextortion or grooming, be formally classified as sex crimes, Ineke Sybesma of the fund told ANP. Having these crimes fall under the public order law seriously risks victims not getting the support they need, she said. “Moreover, it ensures that victims who report online sexual abuse are not automatically referred to specialist help because of this public order stamp.”

“Whether it’s revenge porn, shame-sexting, sextortion, or grooming, help and justice are essential to the victim. Online sexual abuse has taken off in recent years, and the impact on victims is enormous,” Sybesma said. “Abuse of sexual images is a sexual offense and, therefore, belongs under the Sexual Offense Act.”