Girl, 11, one of UK’s youngest revenge porn victims with youngsters forced to move schools due to disturbing craze
AN 11-year-old girl has become one of the youngest revenge porn victims.
Cops have today said 25 children under 16 living in the North East had either intimate images shared with others or were threatened with it.
Some child victims have been so distressed they've had to move to a new school.
Officers revealed in a Freedom of Information response the number of revenge porn cases since it was outlawed in 2017.
Some 25 of the 131 cases involved child victims and a further 16 involved victims aged between 16 and 19.
INCREASE OF CASES
The law came into force on July 3 2017 and the figures - obtained from Police Scotland - show there were 43 reports of image sharing between July 3 2017 and July 2 2018.
This compared to 35 over the same period the following year.
There were 26 complaints involving people threatening to share images in the first year and 27 in the second year.
Of all 131 reports, the victims were female in 115 cases.
The victims were aged 20-29 in 47 of the reports, 30-39 in 29 cases, 40-49 in nine cases and 50 to 59 in five cases.
It made me feel as if I wanted to disappear. It really took a toll on my mental health.
Sophie Ankel
It comes just months after a revenge porn victim bravely waived her right to anonymity after explicit images of herself were passed around her school.
Sophia Ankel, 23, from south London, said she was "utterly humiliated" by the experience, and has called for revenge porn to be treated as sexual abuse.
Meanwhile, in November 2017 a 15-year-old Brazilian girl killed herself over rumours her ex-boyfriend had posted explicit pictures of her online.
Karina Saifer Oliveira's dad said she was also racially abused before her tragic death in Nova Andradina, southeastern Brazil.
PRESSURE
Rape Crisis Scotland chief executive Sandy Brindley said: "Many young women tell us they face enormous pressure to share intimate images of themselves.
"Sometimes they may share an image in response to what can feel like relentless pressure, only to find it has then been shared round the school.
“This can cause significant distress, and on some occasions has led to girls having to move school.
"It is a serious crime which has significant consequences."
Detective Chief Inspector Neil McDonald of the public protection unit said: "The sharing of non-consensual intimate images online is a cruel offence which can have a lasting effect on victims."
Schoolgirl revenge porn victim 'wanted to disappear'
A VICTIM of revenge porn has bravely waived her right to anonymity after explicit images of herself were passed around her school.
Sophia Ankel, 23, from south London, who has waived her right to anonymity, said she was "utterly humiliated" by the experience, and has called for revenge porn to be treated as sexual abuse.
She said: "It made me feel as if I wanted to disappear. It really took a toll on my mental health.
"I blamed myself for many months after it happened, as it makes you feel as if you are being blamed for a horrendous crime that has been committed against you.
"I was scared when it first happened so I confided in my mum because I needed her on my side."
What is revenge porn and what are the laws against it?
- The Government says: "Revenge Porn is the sharing of private, sexual materials, either photos or videos, of another person without their consent and with the purpose of causing embarrassment or distress. The images are sometimes accompanied by personal information about the subject, including their full name, address and links to social media profiles."
- The criminal offence applies to both images shared online and offline - this includes uploading provacative pictures to the internet, sharing via text or showing someone a physcial copy of the photo
- A new law was introduced in England and Wales in 2015 in a bid to crack down on crimes against women
- It made it an offence to share private sexual images or videos without the subject's consent, with a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment
- A September 2016 Crown Prosecution Service report said 206 people were prosecuted for sharing private sexual images in the first year of the offence.
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An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said internet safety is taught as part of personal and social education classes.
He added: "Our internet safety message has always been that young people should only establish online friendships with people they know.
"We routinely share such guidance and advice whenever potential problems are identified."
Four quick tips to protect yourself online
- Even if you are in a relationship, think carefully before you share any sexual images with anyone
- Check your privacy settings on social media regularly to keep them up to date.
- Don’t share personal information or contact details online.
- Turn your webcam off when you are not using it.
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