30 June 2022
Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill
The Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Bill gains Royal Assent
The Justice (Sexual Offences & Trafficking
Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 (2022 c.19) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2022/19/contents/enacted received Royal Assent on the 27 April.
Sections 21 to 27 and Part 4 of the Act came into
operation the day after Royal Assent.
These provisions:
·
relate to the improvement of services and support to victims of human
trafficking and exploitation;
·
make minor amendments to existing provision for Sexual Offences
Prevention Orders and Violent Offences Prevention Orders; and
·
codify the law on the defence of consent to harm for sexual
gratification (commonly known as the ‘rough sex’ defence).
The remaining provisions, which include:
·
new offences of up-skirting; down-blousing; cyber-flashing; and threats
to disclose private sexual images;
·
offences to deal with adults masquerading as a child with the intention
of grooming children;
·
extension of the scope of existing abuse of trust offences to
non-statutory sector settings of sport and religion;
·
provisions to further protect the privacy and anonymity of victims of
sexual offences, including the exclusion of the public from trials and appeals
in serious sexual offence cases;
·
amendments to the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice
and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015; and
·
a new non-fatal strangulation offence
will come
into operation on such day or days as the Department of Justice may appoint.