Online Safety Act Lobbying
Our work on the Online Safety Bill (and then later the Act when it became law) led to significant objectives in terms of advocating for image-based abuse survivors being achieved.
Campaign overview
In the early stages of the Online Safety Bill, in September 2021, we worked in collaboration with the End Violence Against Women Coalition, Angelou Centre, Chayn, Dr Fiona Vera Gray, Faith & VAWG Coalition, Glitch, Imkaan, Professor Clare McGlynn, Rape Crisis England & Wales, Refuge, Women & Girls Network (WGN), Welsh Women’s Aid and Women’s Aid Federation of England to develop “Joint Principles for the Online Safety Bill,” which ensured that violence against women and girls was explicitly recognised in the proposed legislation.
Following the passage of the legislation, we have worked within the sector and with Ofcom to advocate for the needs of survivors of image-based abuse.
Our later work, particularly on the Image Based Abuse Law Campaign and in support of Baroness Owen, led the Government to adopt a crucial amendment to the Online Safety Act on 18th February 2026. This amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill means companies will be legally required to remove this content within 48 hours of being flagged, giving survivors faster protection. Platforms that fail to act could face fines of up to 10% of their qualifying worldwide revenue or have their services blocked in the UK.
