The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) today released a report in collaboration with the eSafety Commissioner that examined the prevalence and nature of sexual extortion among a sample of Australian adolescents aged 16 to 18 years.
The study found that 11% of adolescents surveyed had experienced sexual extortion in their lifetime. Of these teens, one in three had been victimised on multiple occasions, and more than half had experienced sexual extortion before the age of 16.
AIC Director Heather Cook said that experiences of this form of blackmail appear to be highly diverse and severe in nature.
"While all genders were equally likely to experience sexual extortion, male victims were more likely to receive financial demands and be targeted by someone they had never met in person. Women were more likely to receive demands for intimate material.
"Due to the constant evolution of technologies and the ability for offenders to communicate with and learn from each other online, changes in the nature of sexual extortion can occur rapidly. This report allows us to better understand the nature and scope of the issue, calling for a collaborative approach to guide prevention and disruption activities," said Ms Cook.
eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said reports of sextortion to eSafety had increased by over 1,300% since 2018, indicating decisive action was needed.
"Sextortion is insidious practice and can have a devastating impact on those targeted. These impacts can be rapid in onset and profound, quickly building to deep distress and the feeling of being cornered with no way out.
"You can only imagine the sense of panic and distress it brings to a young person. Due to the threats, guilt and shame wielded as weapons against the victims to silence them, we know that these reports are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg. It is devastating that some have taken their own lives - so as a society, we all need to get ahead of this scourge.
"Our number one message to those targeted is quite simple - please talk to someone. Seek support from a family member, someone you trust or a helpline. This too shall pass and Australians can both report sexual extortion and find more information about how to deal with it at esafety.gov.au .
"While this has become a profitable global criminal enterprise, we can all play a role in tackling sextortion. That includes the tech platforms that enable the targeting of young Australians on their platforms through the proliferation of fake and imposter accounts.
"Decisive action by the platforms is a priority and it starts with Safety by Design to reduce the threat surface and prevent harms happening in the first place. We all see the patterns - the same stolen profile photos and the same scripts to start 'sexy chats' - this is also the perfect opportunity for tech companies to use their advanced technology tools to detect and remove this harmful conduct before innocent Australians are ensnared," said Ms. Inman Grant.
The full report is available on the AIC website .
AIC MEDIA
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