An emotional mum told of her pride that her late daughter’s name will live on after the commencement of Coco’s Law.
The signing of the order yesterday has given gardai the tools to ensure people who are abusive online or share intimate images can be prosecuted.
Jackie Fox said she often wonders if her 21-year-old daughter Nicole “Coco” Fox would still be alive if the Bill had been on the statute books in 2018.
The grieving mother, from Clondalkin, West Dublin, said: “It’s a proud day for Nicole’s legacy, it’s a huge day for Nicole, but my emotions are still the same and I still have to live my life without Nicole. I hope Nicole is proud of me today for never giving up and for making her name Nicole “Coco” Fox live on forever.
“I will never stop loving her or missing her until the day I die but until then, I want to continue to make a huge impact on people’s lives through education [and talking at] schools and colleges.”
Jackie revealed she felt she could now start to move forward with her life after three years of painful campaigning for a law “to make victims of online abuse safer”.
She added: “I also wonder if this law had been in three years ago would I still have my baby girl with me today. But now you guys have the protection Nicole never had.
“It’s time to stop trolls destroying other people’s lives the way they destroyed ours.”
Nicole, 21, died by suicide in 2018 after she suffered online abuse. She was affectionately known as “Coco”, a nickname given to her by her little cousin who was unable to pronounce Nicole.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee marked Safer Internet Day by signing the commencement order for the law, which has created two new offences criminalising the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
Ms McEntee said: “I am honoured to pay tribute to the memory of Nicole Fox and to the selfless efforts of her mother Jackie who has
tirelessly campaigned to raise awareness about the harmful effects of online abuse and to make our laws stronger in this area.”
