Revenge porn victims get a new world-first online reporting portal in Australia
REVENGE porn victims are being given a new weapon to fight back as the ugly truth of just how many Australians are affected is revealed.
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EXCLUSIVE
REVENGE porn victims will no longer be shamed into silence with a world-first online reporting tool and information hub to be live in Australia from tomorrow.
News Corp Australia can reveal the federal government is continuing its offensive against image-based abuse, known as revenge porn, and will tomorrow make it easier for victims to report their abuse through an online portal that will go immediately to investigators and provide victims advice on their legal and support options.
New research involving more than 4000 Australians has found only 1 in 4 victims take action to resolve the issue, with 22 per cent indicating they didn’t know what to do.
And Facebook is the platform of choice for revenge porn abusers with 53 per cent of all cases occurring on the social media site and its Messenger offshoot.
One in 10 Australians aged 15 to 76 or older have experienced their nude/sexual images being shared without their consent and this narrows to 1 in 5 women aged between 18 and 45.
The research for the first time provides an insight into the motivations of revenge porn abusers.
Sixty-three per cent said someone close to them had distributed the material in question, 29 per cent was a friend, 13 per cent an ex-partner, 12 per cent a current partner and 10 per cent a family member.
A total of 27 per cent reported the perpetrator had engaged in stalking or threatening behaviour after the photos/videos were shared.
One-third said the abuse had impacted their physical wellbeing, while one-quarter said their intimate/sexual relationships had been impacted.
Slightly less than half of people who received revenge porn material didn’t report the perpetrator.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the new online portal would be in a pilot phase from tomorrow and would help those plagued by image-based abuse to find tools they needed to reclaim their lives.
“This is a world-first government-led initiative, empowering Australians who experience this
insidious form of abuse with practical information and a range of options to help resolve
their situation and relieve their distress,” she said.
Facebook said it reviewed millions of reports from users each week about questionable content, but admitted that occasionally its team made mistakes and revenge porn was slipping through the cracks.
“When this content, often referred to as ‘revenge porn’ is reported to us, we are the only company that uses image-matching technology to prevent it from being re-shared,” a Facebook spokesman said.
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield said he was working towards bringing legislation before parliament this year that would introduce civil penalties for revenge porn abusers.
“(Today’s) research shows just how many people have been affected by this type of abuse and highlights the need for a wide range of responses including community education and technology interventions,” Senator Fifield said.
Minister for Women Michaelia Cash said it was vital to empower victims with online tools.
“The best way to combat the rising prevalence of technology-facilitated abuse is through the utilisation of technology itself,” Minister Cash said.
For information or support on image-based abuse visit: www.esafety.gov.au/imagebasedabuse
TEEN GIRL’S PHOTOS LEAKED
Ongoing cycle of image based abuse of an Australian female
Over a period of 4 months the Office received 32 complaints that were related to stolen and leaked images of an Australian female, Amy*, who at the time the material was recorded, was 17 years old.
The content included intimate and explicit images and videos of Amy — including personal information such as her name and location — which were obtained and then distributed online without consent. The material was taken by means of ‘hacking’ or theft from her boyfriend’s online photo album by an unknown person or persons.
Amy’s boyfriend was alerted to the exposure from a friend who said that images of Amy were publicly available online in various sites and forums.
The couple reported the incident to their local police as Amy had also been stalked as a result of her images and personal information being publicly available. They were struggling to get the content removed and Amy’s boyfriend approached the Office of the eSafety Commissioner for assistance.
Investigations were launched and the sites contacted to remove the content.
The eSafety Office was able to assist in the removal of the image-based abuse content.
Amy’s boyfriend has advised us that she is coping better with time, however still has nightmares, sexual insecurities and break downs at times.
*name changed to provide anonymity
THE STATS
— Since 1 July 2016 the Office eSafety Commissioner has received approximately 400 complaints from Australians related to image-based abuse
— A total of 141 investigations into non-consensually shared images of Australians, resulting in referrals for removal of those images.
KEY RESEARCH FINDINGS
Platform of choice for image-based abuse
Facebook and Messenger 53 per cent
SMS/multimedia messaging 30 per cent
Snapchat 11 per cent
Email 11 per cent
Pornography websites 3 per cent
Revenge porn websites 2 per cent
Negative impact of image-based abuse
Impacted their physical wellbeing 33 per cent
Impacted relationships with friends 33 per cent
Impacted their intimate/sexual relationships 28 per cent
Impacted relationships with family 27 per cent
Impacted performance at work or study 28 per cent
Who is sharing the images
The gender of the person who shared the photo/video tends to be male — 49 per cent
One-third — 35 per cent — had been shared by females
Frequency of abuse to victims
Once — 68 per cent
More than once — 14 per cent
One in four — 27 per cent — reported the perpetrator had engaged in stalking or threatening behaviour after the photos/videos were shared
Minority groups
Indigenous Australians are twice as likely to have experienced image-based abuse in comparison with non-indigenous Australians.
Almost a fifth of those who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual have experienced image-based abuse.
Almost a fifth of those who speak a language other than English at home have experienced image-abuse.
Those who have completed a university degree (15% vs. 10% without a degree) are also more likely to have experienced image-based abuse.
FIVE TIPS FOR DEALING WITH IMAGE-BASED ABUSE
– If your images were shared on a social media service, make a report to that service
– If you don’t know where your images are or the action to take, visit esafety.gov.au/imagebasedabuse
– If someone is threatening to share your images for financial gain, report it to police immediately
– Get the right support — talk to friends and family you trust
– Understand it’s not your fault and that professional help is available
For information or support on image-based abuse visit: www.esafety.gov.au/imagebasedabuse
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