April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, recognized nationally across Canada. This year, the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) is using this time to highlight a growing area of concern: the use of intimate images to control, coerce, and extort victims.
Sextortion is a form of online sexual exploitation in which a perpetrator obtains intimate images of a victim through deception, coercion, or a prior relationship and then uses those images, or the threat of sharing them, to demand money, gift cards, additional images, or other compliance. It can occur between strangers, where a perpetrator uses a fake online identity to build trust before making demands, or within existing relationships, where intimate images are used as a tool of control. Victims are often targeted repeatedly and may not know that what is happening to them is a crime.
The WPS is seeing a continuous rise in reports of sextortion and image-based abuse involving both adults and youth. Victims are frequently too ashamed or afraid to come forward, and many are unaware that legal protections and supports exist. Perpetrators rely on that silence – which is exactly why the WPS is speaking up.
This month, the WPS will share messaging, information and tips about image-based abuse. A short video series will cover intimate images used as a tool of coercive control in relationships; the legal consequences for youth and parents when nude images of minors are shared; how sextortion schemes work and what victims can do; and the online luring of youth through platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Discord.
Parents and guardians need to be aware that making and sharing intimate images of anyone under the age of 18 is considered child sexual abuse and exploitation material under Canadian law, even if the images were shared with consent and even if both parties are under 18. Device owners and account holders can face criminal charges if their device is used to share such images.
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If you or someone you know has been a victim, you’re not alone — we’re here to help.
If you have information about a person who may be targeted or victimized, or you believe you may be a victim, contact the Winnipeg Police Service at 204-986-6222, or report it through Cybertip.ca. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 (TIPS), or online at www.manitobacrimestoppers.com.
The Winnipeg Police Service is committed to providing support to survivors of sexual assault. Resources include WPS Victim Services at 204-986-6350 and the Klinic Sexual Assault Crisis Line at 204-786-8631.