National stats show 1 in 25 people is threatened or harassed by the sharing of explicit images of themselves online without their consent or knowledge. And right now, it’s not illegal in Ohio to do that. But there’s a new bill that hopes to ban so-called “revenge porn.”
The bill from Democratic Sen. Joe Schiavoni of the Youngstown area would make sharing nude pictures without the subject’s consent a first degree misdemeanor. Already, 38 states ban non-consensual sharing of explicit images, but victims say it’s hard to get pictures removed once they’re online.
Last year, Youngstown mother Katelyn Bowden found out nude pictures of her were online when an acquaintance confessed to posting them after stealing her ex-boyfriend’s phone. Bowden founded the BADASS Army, an online group of survivors working against revenge porn and image abuse.
“I was told that, to the state of Ohio, a cell phone had more rights than me, a human being,” Bowden said. “I was hurt, I was depressed, I felt ashamed for taking photos within the confines of a trusting relationship.”
According to a press release, Schiavoni’s bill would allow victims to file civil lawsuits against the offender, and victims would be protected from “adverse employment action solely based on their victimization.”
