B.C. looks to strengthen intimate images law with amendment

British Columbia’s attorney general says the government is strengthening legislation that protects people whose intimate images have been shared without their consent, a crime she describes as a form of sexualized violence.

Niki Sharma says she will table a bill to amend B.C.’s Intimate Images Protection Act, which came into force in January 2024.

She says it proposes an increase for the maximum amount of money victims can seek from their abusers to $75,000, a figure 14 times higher than the current limit.

Sharma told a news conference that victims are often left feeling ashamed and many “suffer in silence,” choosing not to pursue legal action against perpetrators because of the stigma associated with creating intimate images.

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She says the proposed amendment sends the message that there are consequences for sharing someone’s images and those responsible will be punished.

The government is also set to table a new act to prevent and respond to sexual violence on post-secondary campuses at the fall legislative session, with Minister of Post-Secondary Education Jessie Sunner saying the changes would “close gaps” in the current framework.