Raising awareness of sextortion with the Revenge Porn Helpline
This week the Revenge Porn Helpline are raising awareness about the issue of Sextortion, through their #CutOffTheCatfish campaign.
What the campaign involves
With the #CutOffTheCatfish campaign, the Revenge Porn Helpline will be providing information about Sextortion through a variety of ways:
- Those in need can access the Helpline’s Sextortion Awareness Hub to find various support contacts, tips and guidance.
- Those who would like a better understanding about Sextortion can also watch an informative video which showcases the steps that adults can take if they have been affected.
- Organisations can also share this video with their network alongside an exclusive resource, which highlights a variety of information from the Helpline.
What is Sextortion and why is the campaign needed?
Perpetrators of Sextortion create ‘catfish’ (misleading) type profiles and are seen to particularly target people through dating websites and social media platforms.
The Revenge Porn Helpline saw cases of Sextortion double between 2020 and 2021, with cases continuing to rise in 2022. This increase in cases was the driving force behind this week’s awareness campaign, as the Helpline team found that more and more people were in need of information and valuable support.
As cited by the Helpline, many forms of intimate image abuse predominantly affect women, however data shows that men are 5 times more likely to be affected by this specific issue. The awareness campaign aims to build an understanding about the issue, whilst also highlighting advice and information that will allow adults affected, to gain the vital support that they need.
If you, or anyone you know has been affected by Sextortion, or if you would like to provide support to anyone around you, please visit the Revenge Porn Helpline website, to find out more about the awareness campaign and the various aspects of support it is providing.
Finally, if you have been affected by a form of intimate image abuse, you can contact the Revenge Porn Helpline or access the StopNCII.org platform which works with a number of participating partners to prevent online intimate image abuse.