Legislation to create penalties for 'revenge pornography' is to come before the Northern Marianas House of Representatives.
Rep. Joseph Lee Pan Guerrero is introducing a bill which criminalises the unauthorised disclosure of intimate sexual images.
The bill is similar to one introduced by former representative Janet Maratita in the previous House of Representatives in 2020.
Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Mr Guerrero said some adults in the CNMI had naked or semi-naked images or footage of themselves sent to others or posted online without their permission.
Under the bill, the offended party may recover statutory damages of up to US$10,000 against each defendant.
The new bill states that dissemination of 'non-consensual pornography' often involves situations where an individual consented to the photo or video but expected these would be kept private.
In other cases, images may have been taken surreptitiously and then shared.
It added that non-consensual exposure of intimate images and sexual extortion was becoming common experiences for too many people.
Furthermore advances in technology have transformed and expanded the ways in which sexual violence can be perpetrated.