Intimate Image Abuse
Sharing, or threatening to share, intimate images without consent is a crime.
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Intimate image abuse, sometimes called ‘revenge porn’ or ‘the non-consensual sharing of intimate images’, is the sharing of intimate images without a person’s consent. If you think you may have been a victim of intimate image abuse, the Police and support services are there to help you. It can happen to anyone and you are not to blame. Intimate image abuse can happen in different circumstances it may be with a current partner or ex partner or you may have been an victim of grooming.
Intimate images can be pictures or videos of you doing something normally done in private. You may have agreed to the pictures being taken, but you didn’t agree to them being shared with others.
Intimate images can be shared in a number of ways, for example by text, social media or showing a physical or digital copy to another person.
An intimate image could show:
- you taking part in a sexual act
- your genitals, buttocks or breasts exposed in a private place (for example, at home)
- you wearing only your underwear in a private place (for example, at home)
Read more about domestic abuse, stalking or online crime.
You don’t always know who you are speaking to online, they may not be who they claim to be. Groomers work hard to gain your trust, they may use your online profile to find out more about you, send you lots of messages and pay you a lot of attention in order to make you feel special and gain your trust. They may also ask you to keep your relationship with them secret.
Once they have your trust they may look to pressure you into doing something criminal or sexual. They may start to ask you to send intimate images of yourself and videos of a sexual nature, which they then threaten to share with your friends, family and online network if you do not do what they ask of you.
If you are worried about someone you have met online, you can block them from seeing your online profile, block them on your phone. It is not your fault and you should reach out to someone you know and trust to tell them of your situation and concerns. You can also call the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.