The Romanian Senate’s Judicial Committee issued a favorable report on a draft bill that aims to incriminate the distribution of nude or intimate images of a person without that person’s consent, generally known as revenge porn, according to G4Media.ro. The next step is the vote in the Senate after which the draft law will go to the Chamber of Deputies.

The draft bill was initiated in July by Florina Presada, a senator of the Save Romania Union (USR). The bill proposes introducing revenge porn in the Criminal Code and punishing it with three months to two years of jail time.

The draft bill aims to incriminate the distribution without consent of images with sexual connotations, which can bring psychical suffering or damage a person’s public image.

The USR senator explained her initiative arguing that the current legislation only punishes threats, blackmail or harassment.

“What is important to remember about revenge porn is that the author (of the photos or videos), has the right to hold the victim’s intimate images, but doesn’t have the right or consent to make them public. The consent given in a certain context can’t be considered implicit or tacit for another context,” Florina Presada explained.

She added that many women are victims of revenge porn in Romania and the judicial authorities don’t have the right instruments for investigating such cases.

editor@romania-insider.com

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