SEXTORTION & EXPLOITATION

WHAT IS SEXTORTION?
Sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation that employs non-physical forms of coercion to extort money or sexual favors from the victim. Sextortion refers to the broad category of sexual exploitation in which abuse of power is the means of coercion, as well as to the category of sexual exploitation in which threatened release of sexual images or information is the means of coercion. Wikipedia
Sextortion is a relatively new form of sexual exploitation that occurs primarily online and in which non-physical forms of coercion are utilized, such as blackmail, to acquire sexual content (photos/videos) of the child, obtain money from the child or engage in sex with the child. ~ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
WHAT IS EXPLOITATION?
Exploitation refers to the act of taking advantage of someone or something for one's own benefit, often in an unfair or unethical way. It can involve using another person's resources, labor, or vulnerabilities to gain power or profit without providing fair compensation or benefits in return. Exploitation can occur in many contexts, such as in the workplace, in personal relationships, in financial transactions, or in the natural environment. Examples of exploitation include labor exploitation, where workers are paid unfairly or subjected to unsafe working conditions, and environmental exploitation, where natural resources are overused or damaged for economic gain.
WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?
Human trafficking is the exploitation of human beings for gain. Trafficking exploitation can exist in many forms and usually entails victims being caused to provide sexual services or labour through force, coercion, deception and/or abuse of trust, power or authority. Human trafficking therefore results in substantial physical, psychological, and emotional trauma to the victims. If you think you might be a victim of human trafficking or think someone else maybe, we can help. Hotline Response Advocates are available 24/7/365 and support is available in over 200 languages. The hotline can connect callers to local service providers and/or emergency services in communities across Canada.
WHAT IS GENDER BASED VIOLENCE?
Gender-based violence (GBV) refers to any form of violence or abuse that is directed towards an individual based on their gender or perceived gender. It is often used to describe violence that is directed towards women and girls, but it can also affect men and individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.
Sextortion is a form of sexual exploitation that employs non-physical forms of coercion to extort money or sexual favors from the victim. Sextortion refers to the broad category of sexual exploitation in which abuse of power is the means of coercion, as well as to the category of sexual exploitation in which threatened release of sexual images or information is the means of coercion. Wikipedia
Sextortion is a relatively new form of sexual exploitation that occurs primarily online and in which non-physical forms of coercion are utilized, such as blackmail, to acquire sexual content (photos/videos) of the child, obtain money from the child or engage in sex with the child. ~ National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
WHAT IS EXPLOITATION?
Exploitation refers to the act of taking advantage of someone or something for one's own benefit, often in an unfair or unethical way. It can involve using another person's resources, labor, or vulnerabilities to gain power or profit without providing fair compensation or benefits in return. Exploitation can occur in many contexts, such as in the workplace, in personal relationships, in financial transactions, or in the natural environment. Examples of exploitation include labor exploitation, where workers are paid unfairly or subjected to unsafe working conditions, and environmental exploitation, where natural resources are overused or damaged for economic gain.
WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?
Human trafficking is the exploitation of human beings for gain. Trafficking exploitation can exist in many forms and usually entails victims being caused to provide sexual services or labour through force, coercion, deception and/or abuse of trust, power or authority. Human trafficking therefore results in substantial physical, psychological, and emotional trauma to the victims. If you think you might be a victim of human trafficking or think someone else maybe, we can help. Hotline Response Advocates are available 24/7/365 and support is available in over 200 languages. The hotline can connect callers to local service providers and/or emergency services in communities across Canada.
WHAT IS GENDER BASED VIOLENCE?
Gender-based violence (GBV) refers to any form of violence or abuse that is directed towards an individual based on their gender or perceived gender. It is often used to describe violence that is directed towards women and girls, but it can also affect men and individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.
Where do I report sextortion and other illegal activity such as online child sexual abuse material and imagery?
GLOBAL - ICMEC’s global reporting portal: report.icmec.org
or Interpol: https://www.interpol.int/en/Who-we-are/Member-countries IN CANADA - Report to Cybertip.ca and also report to your local police department. IN THE USA - Report to Cybertip.org and report to your local police department. Contact your local FBI field office --> 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report online at tips.fbi.gov. Read more at fbi.gov/sextortion. |
![]() IN THE UK - Internet Watch Foundation
IN AUSTRALIA - Report to Deal with Sextortion (eSafety Commissioner) IN NEW ZEALAND - Netsafe |
How to find help if you are being sextorted or exploited online
The following helplines are available to connect you with support, counseling, or legal services
GLOBAL:
CANADA: USA:
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UNITED KINGDOM:
AUSTRALIA: NEW ZEALAND: MEXICO: |
Get help to get images take down
Australia - Take Action Get Help to Remove Images and Videos - If you are experiencing image-based abuse remember that you are not alone, and we are here to help and support you. We will work with you and do our best to help get the image or video removed. In some cases, we may also be able to take action against the person who posted, or threatened to post, an intimate image without consent if this is something you want.
Canada - NeedHelpNow.ca helps teens stop the spread of sexual pictures or videos and provides support along the way. If you or someone you know has been negatively impacted by a self/peer exploitation incident, we are here to help offer guidance on the steps you can take to get through it. If you are seeking guidance on what to do next, report to Cybertip.ca. All concerns about sextortion are also forwarded to police. In many cases, we reach out to services like Instagram and Snapchat to intervene in the moment to help get the sextorters' accounts disabled.
USA - TakeItDown (NCMEC) - This service is one step you can take to help remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before you were 18.
Canada - NeedHelpNow.ca helps teens stop the spread of sexual pictures or videos and provides support along the way. If you or someone you know has been negatively impacted by a self/peer exploitation incident, we are here to help offer guidance on the steps you can take to get through it. If you are seeking guidance on what to do next, report to Cybertip.ca. All concerns about sextortion are also forwarded to police. In many cases, we reach out to services like Instagram and Snapchat to intervene in the moment to help get the sextorters' accounts disabled.
USA - TakeItDown (NCMEC) - This service is one step you can take to help remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before you were 18.
Resources
- ALLY Global - human trafficking prevention
- Canadian Centre for Child Protection
- Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline - call 1-833-900-1010 or email to hotline@ccteht.ca Cybertip.ca (Reporting Form)
- DA:NCE - Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited
- Exploitation Education Institute
- NCMEC - National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or 1-800-843-5678
- NCMEC - Information Fact Sheet (downloadable)
- NCOSE - National Center on Sexual Exploitation
- One Child - empowering a movement of children and youth to take action against the sexual exploitation of children, including child sex trafficking, through prevention education, advocacy and mobilization, survivor care, and survivor empowerment.
- Project Safe Childhood (USDOJ)
- THORN - information on child sexual abuse (CSA), exploitation, trafficking, use of technology and more
- Sextortion - Case Highlights Growing Online Crime with Devastating Real-Life Consequences
- Fact Sheet for ages 14-15 on sexting and sextortion - via Public Safety Canada
- Sextortion: What Kids and Caregivers Need to Know via FBI
- Boys aggressively targeted on Instagram and Snapchat, analysis of Cybertip.ca data shows
- What is Sextortion? via FBI
- ‘It’s an epidemic’: Sextortion and online crimes against youth spike dramatically (Global News)
- Dr Phil: Sextortion - It Could Be Happening To Your Child (aired October 2023)
- Dr Phil: Sextorted to Death (aired October 2023)
- Online scammers are the ones asking for nude photos and money: Educate yourself to better protect yourself from sextortion (RCMP)
- Protecting children from exploitation means rethinking how we approach online behaviour
- How to Protect children and youth from online predators (Vancouver Sun October2023)