Is Revenge Porn Sexual Assault?

It’s an unfortunately common form of online abuse: posting personal, inappropriate images of another person without their consent. Often, these images are initially exchanged in the context of an intimate relationship. According to the Washington Post, 13% of adolescents reported that they’d sent explicit photos of themselves. However, 18.5% said they’d received explicit photos of someone else. Sometimes, those images are posted without the subject’s permission. The slang term for this is “revenge porn” — and it’s more common than you may think. Studies reveal that for women under the age of thirty, one in ten have received threats of non-consensual sharing. Additionally, six percent were victims of revenge porn. While obviously harmful, is revenge porn sexual assault?

Should Nonconsensual Image Sharing Be Considered Sexual Assault?

According to the University of Southern California‘s Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, the answer is yes. As USC lecturer Jessica Klein says, “It has all of the raw ingredients of sexual assault or sexual trauma.” Klein explains that victims of revenge porn experience many of the same symptoms as sexual assault victims. These symptoms include PTSD, low self-esteem, and severe depression. Furthermore, Klein explains, because of the public nature of online posts, for revenge porn victims, “… the level of humiliation and shame is in many ways compounded …. It’s so public; it’s so known to others.”

How Can We Help Victims of Revenge Porn?

In an article posted by the USC Masters in Social Work program, Klein stresses the importance of treating victims of revenge porn in the same manner as one would treat survivors of sexual assault. Revenge porn, Klein stresses, is trauma. Post-trauma therapy can help victims regain their sense of self and safety. In particular, victims learn to process feelings of humiliation and of shame. Additionally, it helps victims move past the incident and learn how to handle the photos being public.

To read more about the School of Social Work‘s approach to dealing with revenge porn, check out their article “Nonconsensual Image Sharing Isn’t Pornography — It’s Sexual Assault.”