The British Columbia government is strengthening legislation that protects people whose intimate images have been shared without their consent, a crime Attorney General Niki Sharma described as a form of sexualized violence.

Sharma told a news conference as the fall legislative session got underway in Victoria on Monday that she would table a bill to amend the province’s Intimate Images Protection Act, which came into force in January 2024.

“Sharing someone else’s intimate images without consent is a crime. Whether it is done with the goal of extorting money, blackmailing someone, or as a tool for emotional abuse, it is wrong,” she said.

The bill allows the cabinet to raise the maximum amount of money victims can seek from abusers through the Civil Resolution Tribunal, and Sharma said s

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