CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Strika, Ena |
|---|---|
| Title | Safer Digital Space for Women? The GBV Directive's Response to Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA) |
| Summary | Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) represents a range of behaviours involving the non consensual creation and/or sharing of sexually explicit or intimate material. Whilst IBSA is a longstanding issue, it is becoming more pronounced with the proliferation of online platforms and the emergence of new technologies. The recent adoption of the Gender-Based Violence Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/1385) marks a significant legal shift by explicitly including and criminalising IBSA under the framework of protection of women’s rights. This thesis studies IBSA as a violation of fundamental rights and situates it within the broader context of gender-based violence. By applying doctrinal analysis, the thesis critically examines the inclusion of IBSA as a criminal offence under Article 5 of the GBV Directive, evaluating both the strengths and limitations of its definition and scope. In addition, the thesis explores the complementarity between the GBV Directive and relevant EU legal instruments, including the Victims’ Rights Directive, the General Data Protection Regulation, the Digital Service Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act. Considering the novelty of the GBV Directive, this thesis addresses a gap and contributes to scholarly discourse on IBSA within the EU’s evolving legal approach, both through analysing the GBV Directive itself and in conjunction with existing instruments. Despite the shortcomings of Article 5, the GBV Directive overall represents a necessary legal foundation for addressing IBSA by offering multifaceted protection of women’s rights in digital space, reinforcing and expanding upon earlier initiatives. |
| Supervisor | Marie-Pierre Granger |
| Department | Legal Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/strika_ena.pdf |
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