Since the beginning of 2021 there have been over 2021 incidents of revenge porn reported to the police in Northern Ireland.
This includes seven cases where the victim has been a person under the age of 18.
A freedom of information request to the PSNI has found that there have been 215 reported cases of revenge porn since January 2021 to March 31, 2023.
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Revenge porn offences are recorded by police as 'Disclosing private sexual photographs and film with intent to cause distress', however in cases involving those under the age of 18, they can be recorded as an obscenepublications offence.
In 2021, there were 102 reports of 'Disclosing private sexual photographs and film with intent to cause distress', with one of these being someone under the age of 18. In 2022 there were 91 reports with five people under the age of 18.
From January 1, 2023 to March 31, there have been 22 reports with one of these involving someone under the age of 18.
Females are significantly more likely to be a victim of revenge porn in Northern Ireland, with a female being the victim in 165 of the 215 cases reported since the start of 2021.
Police have said that revenge porn is an offence that is taken extremely seriously and can have a devastating impact on victims.
Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher said: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland takes reports of this nature extremely seriously and will robustly investigate. This crime is particularly distressing for victims as it’s a violation of trust between two people with the primary purpose to publicly humiliate. It can have devastating consequences, causing a severe impact on their mental health and wellbeing. Many isolate themselves from family and friends and they have a continued worry that it will reappear online.
“Since 2016, these crimes can now be prosecuted as an offence in their own right, re-assuring victims that it is a recognised offence and it is being taken seriously by authorities. We would like to offer assurance to anyone who is a victim to come forward and report so that we can investigate, prosecute and support. We don’t want anyone to feel embarrassed to report to us. We will take you seriously.”
Police have also offered some advice to those who are the victims of revenge porn and how to report the offence to them.
If you are a victim of revenge porn:
- Keep any evidence - take screenshots of posts or messages as evidence is essential in bringing an offender to justice.
- Don’t retaliate or engage with the offender.
- Don’t be embarrassed to report. We will not judge you and officers will handle your case sensitively.
- Report it to the website the pictures have been uploaded to.
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