Despite the fact that revenge porn – the act of ‘sharing private sexual materials with intent to cause distress’ – has been illegal in England and Wales since 2015, unfortunately for some, it is still a crime that many people fall victim to.
Every day, across some of the less-than-salubrious platforms on the Internet, explicit photos are uploaded and the victims of revenge porn are named.
Young Islanders being targeted
News OnTheWight has been contacted by a number of individuals on the Island who have great concerns about Isle of Wight teenagers and young women being targeted on these platforms.
As well as hosting explicit photos that have been posted anonymously, these sites also host forums where visitors can make specific requests for explicit photos of named individuals.
“Absolutely horrendous and so degrading”
We spoke to the Mary (not her real name), the mother of a teenage girl who discovered that she was the subject of one of these requests. When investigating, Mary’s daughter saw the names of at least eight other Islanders on the platform, people she had known growing up.
Mary told us,
“There are a lot of explicit photos of Islanders posted anonymously, names are added and there are lots of requests.
“It’s absolutely horrendous and so degrading for the girls involved.”
From bubbly teen to hermit
Mary went on to explain that one young woman, who she knows has been a recent victim to revenge porn has retreated into herself, was once a bubbly, outgoing teenager, but now in her early 20s she barely leaves the house. If she does, it’s by the side of her Mum, like a toddler afraid of the world.
She went on to say,
“It’s been going on for a long time, with lots of stuff being posted and lots of people asking ‘have you got a photo of so and so?’.
“As a mother of two girls, I’m finding it heartbreaking and we have to do something.”
Sign the petition
An online petition has been launched, calling on Isle of Wight MP, Bob Seely, to raise the issue in Parliament and find a way for the platforms to be removed.
At time of publishing it had attracted over 100 signatures. Oliver Rigby, who set up the petition, is hoping that Islanders will get behind this and share with their friends and family in order to reach 10,000 signatures.
How the police can help
The people we spoke to said that the police were unable to help them in relation to their specific cases, so News OnTheWight got in touch with Hampshire Constabulary to find out what they might need in order to follow up a case and secure a conviction.
A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary told News OnTheWight,
“In 2015 the Criminal Justice and Courts Act introduced a new law that made disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress illegal.
“Revenge porn is when videos or pictures are often obtained and published by someone known to the victim, such as, but not limited to, a former partner.
“When this happens to someone, we want them to report it us, and not to panic. We will not make judgements and the matter will be dealt with in absolute confidence.”
What to record
If you are a victim of this type of crime there are some key things to record that can help the police.
- Details of where the images are published
- Any social media profiles they are linked to
- Or the entire URL link of the site where they have been uploaded
- Take a screen shot of this and correspondence or messages sent directly
Getting the images removed
A spokesperson for the Hampshire Constabulary went on to tell News OnTheWight,
“In terms of getting the images removed, we would always advise the victim to report the images to the host site in the first instance. Reputable sites will respond and often have a reporting tool which can help.
“Whilst Police are not able to directly remove material from websites or social media platforms, we work with these sites to capture the evidence to aid our investigation, however sometimes they are outside of our jurisdiction.”
Reports will be “treated seriously and sensitively”
Finally, Hampshire Constabulary say that it’s important for members of the public to have complete confidence to report these crimes to police at the earliest opportunity with the knowledge and reassurance that they will be treated seriously and sensitively.
“In these types of cases, we also look to see if there are links to other forms of criminality such as cyberstalking, online harassment and blackmail.
“Our message to victims of sextortion, revenge pornography or any type of blackmail or harassment involving sexual imagery is to contact police by phoning 101. You will be treated as a victim with dignity and respect.”
Distributing intimate images or video is punishable with up to two years in prison.
Sextortion
If you think you’ve been victim to sextortion this self-help guide offers some practical advice.
Seek help
If you are the victim of revenge porn the Revenge Porn Helpline can offer support and guidance.
They can help with a number of issues relating to image-based abuse. Please pass on to anyone who may benefit from their services.
Image: Vladimir Mun under CC BY 2.0
