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Celebrity

15th Dec 2022

Georgia Harrison calls for more protection for victims of image-based sexual abuse

Sarah McKenna Barry

“I was crippled by shame and embarrassment when the video was leaked.”

This week, Stephen Bear was found guilty of voyeurism and disclosing private sexual photographs and films for crimes committed against his former partner Georgia Harrison in 2020.

Bear, who won Celebrity Big Brother in 2020, was arrested last year following an investigation into videos shared on OnlyFans. He was charged in May 2021, and is currently awaiting sentencing.

Now, Georgia is calling for the UK Government action to ensure greater accountability for perpetrators of image-based sexual abuse as well as better protection for victims.

In a post-trial interview with The Sun, she pointed to the “shame and embarrassment” she felt following Bear’s crimes.

She told the paper: “I was crippled by shame and embarrassment when the video was leaked. I was used in such a terrible way. It decimated my self-worth and my ability to trust.”

Georgia spoke about how she didn’t know how she would tell her parents what had happened. She also addressed how Bear’s crimes have impacted her whole family, with people bringing it up to her younger siblings.

She then addressed the Government and social media companies.

“I want to give a message to the UK Government that I am following all of the work they are doing with the Online Safety Bill.

“I believe now more than ever that social media companies need to be doing more to protect their users online and in the event they fail to do so they absolutely need to be held accountable for their mistakes.”

Earlier this week, Georgia issued a statement after the verdict.

She said: “We are living in a time where so much of our lives and our children’s lives are spent online and it is so important that individuals are protected in the virtual world just as they are in reality. Social media has given us the egalitarian belief that we are all publishers but what it hasn’t done is regulate what we should responsibly publish.

“I hope me taking a stand gives other men and women who have fallen victim to revenge porn the courage to seek justice and most importantly show them that they have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.”

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