Digital Sexual Abuse and C-SAM
The Increase of Image-Based Sexual Abuse and Its Long-Term Effects on Mental Health
Image-based sexual abuse is one of the fastest-growing types of abuse in the digital age
Smartphones and social media have made it easier for people to communicate, but they have also made it easier for people to hurt each other. People who have been sexually abused through images often call it a “digital assault” because it takes away their control and privacy right away – when this occurs to minors, the legal term is Child Sexual Abuse Material, or C-SAM. The psychological effects can be terrible, whether the pictures were shot without permission or shared on purpose. Victims often show signs of trauma that are similar to those found after a physical sexual assault, such as anxiety, sadness, hypervigilance, and withdrawal from social situations. People stop trusting others or don’t want to be in relationships at all because they’re afraid their pictures may show up online again. For some, the harassment goes on for years because photographs are shared and reposted on many sites, making them feel like they are always being watched. The legal system has been slow to keep up with these facts, which makes it hard for survivors to follow complicated online evidence trails and statutes that aren’t always clear. More and more, victims are hiring a sexual abuse survivor lawyer to assist them in filing a sexual abuse survivor lawsuit against the people who did the abuse, the websites that hosted the content, or the institutions that didn’t take it down. These incidents show how important it is to have better support networks for survivors and tighter digital privacy protections. The internet is always there, and survivors have to deal with it.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says that image-based sexual abuse affects millions of people around the world. Young women, LGBTQ+ persons, and people with disabilities are some of the most common victims. The agency says that more than 90% of victims suffer extreme emotional anguish, and many also endure threats, extortion, or job loss as their pictures proliferate online. Law enforcement organizations say that it is hard to track down criminals, especially when the content is hosted on servers in other countries or on encrypted platforms. Supporters are asking for countries to work together to make it simpler to find criminals and take down content swiftly. Experts in mental health say that the repercussions of this form of abuse can last just as long as the effects of physical sexual violence. Survivors often live in terror, shame, and a loss of identity, knowing that their intimate pictures could show up again at any time. Online and in-person support groups have been set up to offer therapy, legal advice, and peer support to help survivors regain their confidence and take back control of their lives. Several countries’ governments are now passing rules against “revenge porn” and cyber-harassment, but they don’t always enforce them. Public awareness campaigns are pushing digital corporations to do more to moderate explicit information and set up quick-response procedures for requests to take it down. Experts agree that many survivors will still be at risk of being victimized again and suffering psychological trauma for the rest of their lives until these protections are available to everyone.

