Data from 39 police forces across England and Wales reveals that charges were filed in only 4.5% of image-based abuse cases last year, with some forces recording conviction rates below 1%. This stark statistic has prompted lawyers to launch a super-complaint, alleging systematic failures in how law enforcement investigates crimes involving the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
Systemic Failures in Policing Image-Based Abuse
Lawyers from Leigh Day and the Centre for Women’s Justice, alongside the charity #NotYourPorn, have compiled evidence from 100 individuals who reported such abuse. Their findings paint a troubling picture: despite increased public awareness and new criminal offences, charging rates, prosecutions, and convictions have not improved. Image-based abuse disproportionately affects women and girls, who account for 98.9% of reported victims.
Officers were found to respond inappropriately in several instances. One survivor recounted an officer “almost giggling” during her call, while another was told, “Boys will be boys.” A third reported being asked if she had “learned her lesson.” These dismissive attitudes underscore a broader issue—many survivors feel their experiences are not taken seriously by those meant to protect them.
Survivors Left to Navigate Legal Maze Alone
The Revenge Porn Helpline saw a 4,000% surge in referrals between 2015 and 2025, receiving nearly 25,000 reports in 2025 alone. Yet, Home Office data shows only 569 charges were issued that year. Researchers found that most survivors hesitate to report due to feelings of embarrassment, shame, and fear. When they do come forward, police often outsource evidence-gathering to victims themselves, leaving them to independently prove widespread image distribution and coordinate removal efforts.
One survivor described the experience as deeply alienating: “It felt like to them it wasn’t a priority, it wasn’t even a crime.” Another added, “Police involvement has not alleviated the harm caused by this offence. Instead, it has intensified my distress and left me feeling powerless and completely unsupported as a victim.”
Call for Urgent Reform Amid AI Surge
The legal landscape is further complicated by advances in artificial intelligence, which enable abusers to generate synthetic explicit content using deepfake technology. Lawyers argue that current police guidance and training fail to keep pace with these evolving threats. Their research describes the policing response as “fragmented, inconsistent and incapable of meeting the scale of the threat posed by image-based abuse.”
A police super-complaint, introduced in 2018 to address systemic issues affecting public safety, will now be reviewed jointly by the College of Policing and the Independent Office for Police Conduct. Harriet Bland of the Centre for Women’s Justice emphasised the need for immediate action: “Without an urgent overhaul of police guidance and training on image-based abuse – which must be regularly updated – and a clear national strategy rolled out across forces, survivors will continue to be let down.”
Why it Matters
Image-based abuse represents more than just a digital crime—it is a profound violation that scars lives long after images disappear from screens. With nearly 90% of cases going unpunished and survivors left to fight alone, the current system fails those it was designed to protect. As AI enables increasingly sophisticated forms of exploitation, the gap between technological advancement and legal preparedness grows wider. Without decisive reform, thousands of victims will continue to suffer in silence, their trauma compounded by indifference and institutional neglect.
