Lawmakers in the chamber of deputies passed what is known as Olimpia’s law on Thursday
MEXICO CITY, May 2 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Mexico has criminalized the distribution of sexually explicit digital images without the consent of the person depicted – commonly known as revenge porn.
Lawmakers in the chamber of deputies passed what is known as Olimpia’s law on Thursday with 446 votes in favour and only one against.
It sets out prison terms of up to six years as punishment.
The Senate, Mexico’s upper house of parliament, already approved the law in November.
The law is named after a woman called Olimpia Coral. In 2013, when she was 18, her then-boyfriend published a sex video of her online against her will. The video was then shared widely.
Coral survived three suicide attempts and later became an activist.
In her home state of Puebla she successfully campaigned to have what happened to her banned.
Since then, most other Mexican states have passed similar laws.
The new law that applies nationwide bans the non-consensual sharing of intimate photos or videos as well as the promoting of sexist stereotypes and the glorification of gender-based violence or hate speech in digital media.
This can be punished with three to six years in prison and a fine of 89,600 pesos (around 4,470 dollars).
If the perpetrator has had a romantic relationship with the victim, it is considered an aggravating factor that will justify a higher sentence.
On average, ten women are killed every day in Mexico. Of the more than 3,700 murders of women in the country last year, 967 have been classified as femicides – murders that target women because of their gender. — NNN-AGENCIES