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Possessing images of Muslim women without their hijabs should be made a criminal offence, a group of Labour MPs has said.
The Commons' Women and Equalities Committee said pictures of a Muslim woman without a religious headscarf taken without her consent should be considered "non-consensual intimate images" - and treated as harshly as child sex abuse material.
At the moment, the committee says, English law defines an "intimate" image as one which shows its subject fully or partially nude, engaging in a sexual act or going to the toilet.
But now, the Labour-led group has claimed that "abuse can also include material that is considered 'culturally intimate' for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab".
The Labour-led group has claimed that 'abuse can also include material that is considered "culturally intimate" for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab' (file photo)
PA
"The Government should expand the legal definition to include such images," it said. "Non-consensual intimate image abuse is not always limited to sexually explicit content.
"For example, in some cultures, countries, or religions, sharing a photograph of someone without their religious clothing - or with their arm around another person - can be disastrous for the victim."
Possessing images of Muslim women without their hijabs should be made a criminal offence, a group of Labour MPs has said.
The Commons' Women and Equalities Committee said pictures of a Muslim woman without a religious headscarf taken without her consent should be considered "non-consensual intimate images" - and treated as harshly as child sex abuse material.
At the moment, the committee says, English law defines an "intimate" image as one which shows its subject fully or partially nude, engaging in a sexual act or going to the toilet.
But now, the Labour-led group has claimed that "abuse can also include material that is considered 'culturally intimate' for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab".
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The Labour-led group has claimed that 'abuse can also include material that is considered "culturally intimate" for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab' (file photo)
PA
"The Government should expand the legal definition to include such images," it said. "Non-consensual intimate image abuse is not always limited to sexually explicit content.
"For example, in some cultures, countries, or religions, sharing a photograph of someone without their religious clothing - or with their arm around another person - can be disastrous for the victim."
David Spencer, of the Policy Exchange think tank, said: "Tackling the problem of 'revenge porn' is clearly important - but expanding this to so-called 'culturally intimate' images risks extending the criminal law too far.
"The police cannot be expected to wade into so-called 'cultural' issues when officers are already struggling to deal with the volume of stabbings, sexual assaults and thefts that occur every day.
The Commons' Women and Equalities Committee said pictures of a Muslim woman without a religious headscarf taken without her consent should be considered "non-consensual intimate images" - and treated as harshly as child sex abuse material.
At the moment, the committee says, English law defines an "intimate" image as one which shows its subject fully or partially nude, engaging in a sexual act or going to the toilet.
But now, the Labour-led group has claimed that "abuse can also include material that is considered 'culturally intimate' for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab".
The Labour-led group has claimed that 'abuse can also include material that is considered "culturally intimate" for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab' (file photo)
PA
"The Government should expand the legal definition to include such images," it said. "Non-consensual intimate image abuse is not always limited to sexually explicit content.
"For example, in some cultures, countries, or religions, sharing a photograph of someone without their religious clothing - or with their arm around another person - can be disastrous for the victim."
Possessing images of Muslim women without their hijabs should be made a criminal offence, a group of Labour MPs has said.
The Commons' Women and Equalities Committee said pictures of a Muslim woman without a religious headscarf taken without her consent should be considered "non-consensual intimate images" - and treated as harshly as child sex abuse material.
At the moment, the committee says, English law defines an "intimate" image as one which shows its subject fully or partially nude, engaging in a sexual act or going to the toilet.
But now, the Labour-led group has claimed that "abuse can also include material that is considered 'culturally intimate' for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab".
ADVERTISEMENT
The Labour-led group has claimed that 'abuse can also include material that is considered "culturally intimate" for the victim, such as a Muslim woman being pictured without her hijab' (file photo)
PA
"The Government should expand the legal definition to include such images," it said. "Non-consensual intimate image abuse is not always limited to sexually explicit content.
"For example, in some cultures, countries, or religions, sharing a photograph of someone without their religious clothing - or with their arm around another person - can be disastrous for the victim."
David Spencer, of the Policy Exchange think tank, said: "Tackling the problem of 'revenge porn' is clearly important - but expanding this to so-called 'culturally intimate' images risks extending the criminal law too far.
"The police cannot be expected to wade into so-called 'cultural' issues when officers are already struggling to deal with the volume of stabbings, sexual assaults and thefts that occur every day.
