Increase in 'Revenge Porn' Distribution Due to COVID-19 Crisis

329% Surge in Reported Infidelity Cases in London... Many Couples Break Up Under Tremendous Pressure from COVID-19

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[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] Between October 1 of last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing, and October 31 of this year, a 13-month period, reports of so-called 'revenge porn' distribution in London, UK, surged by 329%.

The British daily Daily Mail recently reported, citing data released by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) of London, that some victims include children as young as 10 years old.

Revenge porn refers to photos or videos distributed without the consent or knowledge of the subject, intended as retaliation.

According to the data, during the same period, reports of revenge porn distribution increased by 698 cases. Shockingly, victims aged 10 to 17 increased fourfold compared to the previous year. Female victims increased by 572 cases, whereas the previous year recorded 177 cases.

Since 2015, the local charity SWGfL has been operating the Revenge Porn Helpline and reports that the number of revenge porn distribution cases doubled last year following the COVID-19 pandemic. The bigger problem is that there is no sign of decline.

In a report released recently covering 2015 to 2020, SWGfL pointed out that image-based sexual exploitation crimes tripled last year. Zara Ward, the senior counselor at the Revenge Porn Helpline, said, "There are many reasons for this, but this is just a hypothesis," adding, "It seems to be a phenomenon arising from the tremendous pressure on human relationships due to COVID-19, leading many couples to break up and blurring the boundaries between reality and virtuality."

(Photo by Getty Images)

As people spent more time at home, relationships formed online also increased. This means that sexual behavior occurs in the virtual world. As a result, image-based sexual exploitation crimes and reports doubled and tripled respectively last year.

Reports of image-based sexual exploitation continue to rise with no signs of abating. Senior counselor Ward believes that the COVID-19 pandemic has further fueled this trend.

Since 2016, Australia has used the term 'image-based abuse' instead of 'revenge porn.' Even if the victim consented to the image being taken, distributing it without their consent is considered abuse. The targeted images include sexual body parts, private photos such as showering scenes, and even images of religious clothing being removed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.