Sydney, Oct 12, A bill to penalise the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of people without their consent, or revenge porn, was tabled in the Australian parliament on Monday.

The bill, introduced by opposition labour MP Tim Watts, aims to fight violence, mostly against women, and proposes up to three years of imprisonment for any activity qualifying as revenge porn.

It also seeks to punish those who threaten to share or distribute such images or videos and those who economically profit from it.

“Revenge porn is the most extreme example of how some men are using new technologies to exercise power and control over the women in their lives,” Watts said.

A study by La Trobe University and RMIT in Melbourne reveals one in ten adults between 18 and 54 years of age have had nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves distributed without their consent.