REVENGE porn has more than doubled over the past two years and now affects more than one in every five Australians, with teens and people who share “sexual selfies” at greatest risk of becoming victims.
The most comprehensive research into the insidious trend, to be released by RMIT University on Monday, also found men and women were equally likely to become victims of image-based abuse, although men were more likely to perpetrate the crime, and women were more likely to fear for their safety.
The survey of more than 4200 Australians also found most people supported making it a criminal offence to share sexual images without consent.
Chief researcher Dr Nicola Henry said revenge porn had become a significant problem in Australia over a short period of time, and the number of victims had increased since the group’s 2014 study.
Among those most at risk included disabled and indigenous people, as well as those who had willingly shared sexual selfies, and the youngest group surveyed.
One in three Australians aged between 16 and 19 reported image-based abuse — more than any other age group — and the perpetrators were more often friends or family members than jilted ex-lovers.
“This isn’t just about revenge porn,” Dr Henry said.
“Images are being used to control, abuse, and humiliate people in ways that go well beyond the relationship-gone-sour scenario.”
People who had taken and shared nude or sexual selfies were most likely to become victims of revenge porn, the study found, but one in 10 people who had never shared a naked photo of themselves had also been targeted.
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Read More: Revenge porn now affects more than one in five Australians
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