Image-based sexual abuse

In this chapter, we provide an overview of emerging research into the nature and harms of image-based sexual abuse, as well as a feminist criminological account of this new, yet somewhat familiar, harm. We begin by first problematizing the popular terminology of "revenge pornography," and provide a rationale for why "image-based sexual abuse" is a preferable term to describe these behaviors. We then consider the (limited) available empirical research to date, before presenting results from our own Australian national survey on image-based sexual abuse in order to examine the prevalence and nature of these harms. Finally, we explore a feminist criminological analysis of the gendered nature of image-based sexual abuse and conclude the chapter by suggesting some directions for future research in this field.