President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed a new bill that criminalised revenge porn, where culprits could face a R300 000 fine or four years in jail.

In the wake of gender-based violence and femicide in the ‘rape-public’ of South Africa, news of President Cyril Ramaphose criminalising revenge porn is somehow a step in the right direction. Sowetan has reported that the amendment to the Films and Publications Act, signed by the president last week, makes the distribution of hate speech, child pornography and revenge porn illegal. It further reported that anyone found guilty of sharing revenge porn will now face penalties of between two and four years in prison or a fine of between R150,000 and R300,000, depending on whether the victim is identifiable. South Africa now joins the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Japan in making revenge porn illegal.

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The bill reads,  “any person who knowingly distributes private sexual photographs and films in any medium including through the internet, without prior consent of the individual or individuals and where the individual or individuals in the photographs or films is identified or identifiable in the said photographs and films, shall be guilty of an offence and liable upon conviction.”

Revenge porn can scar a woman and hurt her reputation for life, and this could affect every aspect of her life, including her relationships and her career. Your body and sexual preference shouldn’t be a pornographic extravaganza, especially without your knowledge and consent and you have the right to privacy with what you do in the bedroom (and elsewhere). Now, you can fight to claim back your dignity by taking this matter to authority and if and once the culprit is identified, (and we know it’s often the grumpy ex) remedial action has to take place.

Now here’s news we welcome with open arms.