Everything you need to know about...
Online Sexual Abuse
Everything you need to know about...
Maybe you’ve experienced something online that made you feel angry, scared, or insecure. But you're not sure if it falls under ‘online sexual abuse.’ Because of that, you might not know if you can talk to someone about it or seek help. We are here to help.
What is online sexual abuse?
Online sexual abuse is an umbrella term for all kinds of harmful things that can happen online. If someone deceives, shames, exposes, threatens, or forces you to do things you don’t want to do, with photos, videos, or messages, that’s online sexual abuse.
This can happen through social media, WhatsApp, in games, or other online platforms. Sometimes, it can even lead to physical abuse, for example, if someone blackmails you by threatening to share images unless you do what they want.
It is online sexual abuse when:
- A nude photo that someone has sent in confidence is shared with others without permission.
- An adult creates a fake profile on social media to ask a teenager for sexually explicit images.
- Someone creates a false identity on a dating app, gains trust and then asks for intimate images.
- Someone threatens to forward or post intimate images online and forces a person to transfer money or send additional photos.
Types of online sexual abuse
Below we provide examples of online sexual abuse. Do you recognize anything from this list? Try to talk to someone you trust, or anonymously chat with an aid worker, for example. Know that it is never your fault and that you don’t have to feel ashamed.
Online sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior:
• Someone made sexual remarks that made you feel uncomfortable.
• Someone kept asking for sexual photos or videos from you, even though you didn’t want to.
• Someone showed their genitals or breasts without you asking for it.
• Someone masturbated in your presence (online), without your consent.
• Someone kept asking you to meet up or have sex, even though you didn’t want to.
Unwanted sexting:
• You received sexually explicit photos, videos, or messages without asking for them or giving permission.
Sexting abuse (also known as shame sexting):
• Someone shared your sexual messages or images (like a Snapchat photo or WhatsApp message) with others without your permission.
Sextortion:
• Someone forced you to pay money, or else they would spread your sexual images.
• Someone forced you to send more sexual photos or videos, or else they would post images of you online.
• Someone forced you to perform sexual acts (on yourself, others, in real life or on camera), threatening to spread images of you if you didn’t comply.
Exposing:
• Someone shared a sexually explicit photo or video of you without your permission, along with your name, social media profiles, phone number, and/or address.
Photoshop sexting:
• Someone photoshopped your face onto a naked photo, without your consent, making it look like you’re the one in the picture.
Deepfake pornography:
• Someone created a fake video of you doing or saying something sexual, even though you never did. This is often made using AI.
AI-generated sexual images:
• Someone used AI to create a sexual photo of you, even though you never did that in real life.
Grooming:
• An adult tried to engage in sexual activities with you online, such as exchanging nude photos or meeting up for sex. Sometimes, they pretend to be someone your age to gain your trust.
Catfishing with the goal of sexual abuse:
• Someone pretended to be someone else online to engage in sexual activities with you. You thought you knew and could trust this person, but that turned out not to be the case.
Sexchatting:
• An adult sought contact with you online to chat about sex.
What now?
If you recognize your experience in one of these situations, know that you are not alone. Try to talk to someone you trust or reach out to an aid worker (anonymously). Even though it might feel that way, you are not to blame and have nothing to be ashamed of.
