A ‘hierarchy of justice’: How UK law is leaving victims of image-based abuse unprotected

22nd June 2026Dr Alishya Dhir, Centre for Protecting Women Online

A growing legal blind spot in sexual offences law is creating a ‘hierarchy of justice’, where victims of image-based abuse are only protected if their experience fits narrow, outdated definitions of what counts as ‘intimate’, warns Dr Alishya Dhir, co-lead of the Law and Policy Stream at the Open University’s Centre for Protecting Women Online.

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A ‘hierarchy of justice’: How UK law is leaving victims of image-based abuse unprotected

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