Consent matters... you have the right to say no
| Published date | 13 July 2023 |
| Publication title | Express, The/The Express on Sunday |
The new law now means people who share such imagery without consent face up to six months in jail.
"It changed my life," says Georgia of the incident. She waived her right to anonymity to use her platform of 1.2million Instagram followers to talk candidly about her experiences.
Her actions were applauded by Hannah von Dadelszen, deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS East of
England, who praised Georgia's "bravery and determination".
Georgia says: "Lack of consent affected me quite seriously. I was really let down. I didn't give my consent to videos of me being distributed, and it still went on to happen. My original experience hurt me. It made me feel ashamed at times, violated and exploited."
In March this year, Bear - who won Celebrity Big Brother in 2016 - got 21 months for voyeurism, along with two counts of sharing a revenge porn video. "It was something I hate to have gone through, but it makes me feel empowered. Because of it, so much positive change has come around,"says Georgia, who starred in Celebrity Ex On The Beach in 2020. Revenge porn was criminalised
TV STAR Georgia on Love Island back in 2015, but until last month a clause saw prosecutors having to prove there was an intention to cause distress or humiliation. The new law has removed this and now any explicit imagery uploaded without consent is punishable.
"It's not until you experience it, or you talk to someone who has, that you realise how flawed the law was," says Georgia. "It's a very modern crime. When I met the Lord Chancellor, he said technology is always going to be one step ahead of the law.
"It's important the Government and the law keep up with the virtual world as well as reality.
"But the fact that this law and the online safety bill has been changed quickly shows they are committed to doing that. We're the only country implementing such legislation, so it's very much a new thing. I'm pleased." Now Georgia has teamed up with high street beauty store Superdrug for a campaign about consent. In partnership with charities Brook, Fumble, UK Says No More and Switchboard, the You Before Yes campaign comes in response to new research that highlights the lack of understanding around consent and the devastating impact that nonconsensual behaviour can have.
JAILED Georgia's ex Bear
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