Tackling image-based sexual abuse

Image-based sexual abuse is a technology-facilitated form of abuse which involves the non-consensual taking, distribution or threatened distribution of real or artificially generated intimate images. This includes upskirting, covertly filming sexual activity, creating sexualised deepfakes, the non-consensual sharing of intimate images (often referred to as “revenge porn”), threats to share intimate images (“sextortion”) and the sending of unsolicited intimate images (cyberflashing).

Image-based sexual abuse is a rapidly growing global problem due to technological advancements and changes to dating practices. Despite its considerable prevalence and the significant psychological, physical, and practical harms experienced by victim-survivors, image-based sexual abuse remains under-recognised within the criminal justice system and under-researched in academic literature. Consequently, many victim-survivors do not receive adequate support, protection or access to justice.

Purpose

Researchers at the University of Derby are working to address these challenges by advancing our understanding of how technology is used to harm others, examining the impacts on victim-survivors, and developing evidence-informed approaches to prevention, safeguarding, and policy. This research contributes to national and international efforts to tackle online harms, strengthen digital safety, enhance support for victim-survivors, and improve criminal justice responses to image-based sexual abuse.

Research developments

Our team at the University of Derby are currently undertaking research to understand:

• The prevalence, background and motivation of those who perpetrate of image-based sexual abuse
• The impact of image-based sexual abuse on victim-survivors, their subsequent needs, and their experiences of accessing support
• What societal attitudes are towards image-based sexual abuse, including identifying international variations in the context of emerging legislation
• How bystanders respond towards different types of image-based sexual abuse offences
• How the criminal justice system responds to image-based sexual abuse
• Identifying effective interventions for preventing image-based sexual abuse and improving victim-survivor support
• The influence of technology developments such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the nature of image-based sexual abuse

Research impacts

• Dr Dean Fido wrote the first student-focused textbook on IBSA and was invited by the British Psychological Society to host a series of psychology-informed seminars on image-based sexual abuse in 2019. Subsequently, he has contributed to image-based sexual abuse-related policy through knowledge contributions to the Domestic Abuse Bill and the Online Safety Act, and has informed internal practitioner-client policy of the Aftermath Foundation on image-based sexual abuse. Dr Dean Fido has also completed a series of consulting contracts with undisclosed technology firms to share knowledge on deepfake sexual abuse, specifically, and image-based sexual abuse more broadly, and has been invited to provide international keynotes on this subject. Dr Dean Fido has also developed novel scales indexing societal attitudes pertaining to the non-consensual sharing of intimate images (NCII) and deepfake sexual abuse, as well as experimental vignettes depicting victim-survivor-informed experiences of image-based sexual abuse, which have since been validated internationally
• Dr Georgina McLocklin has provided written evidence to the House of Commons on image-based sexual abuse to support the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls initiative. She has presented her victim-focused research on image-based sexual abuse at Public Policy Exchange events focused on improving image-based sexual abuse, as well as various international academic conferences. She has also consulted on the development of a policing toolkit to improve the police’s response to victims of image-based sexual abuse. Her consultation with the National Centre for Violence Against Women & Girls Public Protection led to her being invited to speak at the launch of the toolkit in March 2026, where she presented on the importance of police using trauma-informed and stigma-aware communication

Researchers

• Dr Dean Fido
• Dr Georgina Mclocklin
• Supported by MSc and PhD students

Example research papers

• Examining perceptions of sextortion in the general population
• Disclosure Decisions and Help-Seeking Experiences Amongst Victim-Survivors of Non-Consensual Intimate Image Distribution
• Celebrity status, sex, and variation in psychopathy predicts judgements of and proclivity to generate and distribute deepfake pornography
• Societal Perceptions and Understanding of Voyeurism & Upskirting in Young Adult Singaporean Nationals: A Reflective Thematic Analysis
• Understanding how survivors of non-consensual intimate image dissemination are perceived by UK and Norwegian respondents

Get in touch

The team are open to collaborating on additional research projects with other academics, as well as with stakeholders such as charities, police, technology companies, and policy officers. If you would like to get in contact with us to discuss how we can support your organisation or discuss research collaborations, please contact: Dean Fido (D.Fido@derby.ac.uk) or Georgina Mclocklin (g.mclocklin@derby.ac.uk)