CWAG Africa Alliance Partnership www.cwagweb.org/aap

Ending “Sextortion” in the Digital Age A Call to Action: Legislative and Advocacy Solutions Penny Venetis Rutgers Law School, Legal Momentum

Sextortion A new word but a very old concept. Widespread form of corruption where sex, not money, is the currency of the bribe. Perpetrator asks for sex or sexual imagery instead of cash.

Sextortion Children, teens and women are disproportionately impacted by cyber-sextortion. Predators exploit digitally-savvy children and teenagers, often by pretending to be peers on social networking sites. Using false identities, offenders manipulate children and teenagers to produce and give them sexually explicit information and images. Predators then use these images to demand sex or more sexual images.

Most Sextortion Today is Cyber-sextortion Cyber-sextortion is easy to commit: need only a computer to reach hundreds of victims. FBI calls cyber-sextortion fastest growing threat to kids and teens.

Sextortion Law enforcement recognizes that sextortion incidents are increasing exponentially. Law enforcement and media frequently use the term. Yet, most federal and state laws do not specifically identify sextortion as a crime, or provide adequate solutions to ensure justice for victims. This leaves children, teens and women most vulnerable to online sex abuse.

Sextortion Many perpetrators have abused multiple, even hundreds, of victims. Lucas Michael Chansler abused 350 victims. Richard Finkbiner victimized between 20 and 153 young women and children. Jared James Abrahams hacked the computers of 150 victims. Ruslan Mirvis (34 year old Brooklyn male) allegedly sextorted at least 14 girls, ages 12 to 14, while pretending to be a 16-year-old boy.

Sextortion: Victims are Powerless When they have not complied, perpetrators have released sexual images to the victims’ friends, family members, congregations, teachers, co- workers, and the world at large, via the Internet.

Sextortion Causes Irreparable Harm The impact of all forms of sextortion on victims’ lives is immeasurable: long-lasting psychological impact and irreversible reputational harm. Many victims are traumatized because they will never know when and where sexual images of them will turn up, or who has viewed them. It is impossible for victims to ensure images have been removed from the Internet, or the places they were downloaded. Victims feel shame and embarrassment and often do not know where or how to obtain help.

Sextortion Is Sex Abuse That Causes Irreparable Harm Victims of sexual extortion experience the same irreparable harm as other sexual assault and rape victims. PTSD – Flashbacks Anxiety Depression Nightmares Shame Difficulty Concentrating Self-blame Lack of Control Numbness Isolation Vulnerability Fear Sadness Embarrassment

Sextortion Is Sex Abuse That Causes Irreparable Harm National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC): 18% of child cyber-sextortion victims expressed negative psychological consequences: hopelessness, fear, anxiety and depression. In 5% of all cyber-sextortion reports, child victims engaged in self-harm, or expressed suicidal thoughts or actions.

Sextortion Even though everyone who owns a computer is vulnerable to sextortion, our laws do not expressly prohibit it. Because the law does not adequately address sextortion, it is imperative to take immediate action to remedy this fast-growing form of sexual abuse.

Sextortion: Public Awareness Needed We can fight sextortion through public education by: Educating the public, especially children and teens, about the danger and prevalence of sextortion, especially cyber-sextortion. Ensuring that schools incorporate sextortion awareness in their Internet safety curricula. Public Service Announcements. Funding Needed (federal, state, and local for educational programs).

Examples of Educational Tools Sextortion Examples of Educational Tools

Examples of Social Media Campaign Tools Sextortion Examples of Social Media Campaign Tools

Sextortion: Example Twitter Campaigns #ThisisSextortion #SextortionisSexAbuse When ordinary citizens obtain sexual images of an individual and then threaten them with release of the images #ThisisSextortion #SextortionisSexAbuse All it takes is sending ONE nude photo, for someone to exert their power over you. Don’t get caught. #ThisisSextortion #SextortionisSexAbuse #Sextortion Don’t be tricked by online predators who want your nude pix #Sextortion #defineasacrime Sextortion is online sex abuse that needs to be made illegal #defineasacrime #coverup Put a #coverup on webcams. Don’t become a sextortion victim.

Combatting Sextortion: Law Reform Needed Amending existing extortion, cybercrime, sex offense and domestic violence statutes to expressly criminalize sextortion. Codifying these updated offenses consistent with other sex offenses to allow for enhanced sentencing; and Amending sex offender registration and notification laws to allow for increased monitoring of sextortion offenders.

Addressing and Combating Sextortion Legal Momentum and Orrick have worked with legislators to enact legislation in four states: Utah, Arkansas, Texas, and Alabama. Legal Momentum and Orrick are working with federal legislators to enact legislation on the federal level. Not difficult to achieve 50 state criminalization of sextortion. Need for international cooperation: Internet allows perpetrators to sextort victims from anywhere in the world.

Bi-Partisan Issue Nobody is against protecting kids from online predators!

International Issue Treaties Provide Authority for Amending Domestic and International Laws to Address Sextortion: CEDAW Convention on the Rights of the Child ICCPR

Let’s Work Together to End Sextortion Let’s issue “A Call to Action” throughout the world to “End Sextortion in the Digital Age!”

CWAG Africa Alliance Partnership www.cwagweb.org/aap