Online abuse directed towards women and girls is entirely unacceptable. No one should have to worry about going online for fear of ill-treatment or harm. I therefore welcome that the Online Safety Bill puts in place the regulatory framework to tackle online abuse and protect vulnerable individuals.
As you may be aware, the Online Safety Bill sets out plans for a new duty of care to make companies take responsibility for the safety of their users, building on the manifesto commitment to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. As the legislation has progressed through Parliament, Ministers have been looking for ways to strengthen the Bill in respect of tackling violence against women and girls, and I welcome that new proposals have been brought forward.
Amendments due to be tabled by the Government will list controlling or coercive behaviour as a priority offence, which will mean that companies have to take proactive measures to tackle this content, and name the Victims' Commissioner and Domestic Abuse Commissioner as statutory consultees for the codes of practice, to ensure that they are consulted by Ofcom ahead of drafting and amending the codes of practice.
Separately, the Government is bringing forward reforms to the criminal law on the abuse of intimate images. Building on the recommendations from the Law Commission, the Online Safety Bill will criminalise the sharing of people's intimate images without their consent. This, in combination with the measures already in the Bill to make cyber-flashing a criminal offence, will significantly strengthen protections for women in particular as they are disproportionately affected by these activities.