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At Chayn, we consider image-based abuse to include any and all abuse that uses images or videos, whether these visuals are of us or of others. Besides the abuse of our personal images, we may be forced to consume explicit visuals too, which is also abuse. This can happen to any of us.
With each type of abuse, we’ll give examples to acknowledge how this might happen in different parts of the world. For many of us, we may not be aware of the terms used for such abuse, but we have experienced it. There is a mention of so-called honour killing as well.
The examples help validate our experiences and allow us to seek out more resources for this type of abuse.Because of these examples, the content can be triggering and difficult to consume so take care as you read this.
Feel free to step away, take a break, and use our grounding exercises, as and when needed.We also recognise that the abuse you have experienced might be ongoing, which will also make reading this difficult. Feel free to only read about the type of image-based abuse that you feel might be most relevant for you.
Total time to read: 40 minutes
Published: June 2023
If we did not consent to have pictures or videos taken of us during sex and sexual acts but are either coerced or forced into letting the abuser take these or the person uses hidden cameras, this is image-based abuse. This includes any situations where we cannot give our consent such as recording us when our back is turned or when we are drunk, drugged, or asleep.
It’s also possible that the pictures and videos were originally taken with our consent, or that we took these and sent them to a person we trusted. But we never consented to these being shared further. In some cases, the abuse starts only after our consent is withdrawn, say for example if we broke up with someone and then they started sharing our images.
Even though we typically think of image-based abuse as being sexual, not all forms of it are. Privacy and intimacy mean different things to each one of us and also differ based on cultural norms. Being photographed when bathing, showering, undressing, giving birth, dancing, breastfeeding, defecating, peeing, or crying can also feel profoundly exposing. For someone who wears a headscarf or other religious garb, a photograph of them without it shared with others, would be incredibly intrusive.
Example
In 2013, two sisters made a video of themselves dancing in the rain, in Chitral, Pakistan. When this video was circulated without their consent, it became image-based abuse. Following that, they were killed by their step-brother and four other men, in the name of restoring the so-called ‘honour’ of the family. Not only did they have to experience image-based abuse they also experienced femicide.
Creepshots are non-consensual photos or videos of us taken by strangers in a public place, such as ‘up the skirt’ or ‘down the blouse’ images. However, they may also be taken by someone we know in a public setting. Abusers generally target unwary users of public transport, restrooms, and elevators.
Example
The Korean actor, Jin Ha, had a Tumblr account where he shared creepshots of elderly women with sexualising comments, which he took down after people called out this abusive behaviour in 2022.
Deepfakes are images or videos created using artificial intelligence technology to look like us. Before AI was common, this was also done using Photoshop or other photo editing software. The last few years have seen a massive increase in deepfakes. It’s sometimes called ‘morph porn’ or ‘parasite porn’. Typically, for a deepfake, someone will take our identifiable image, very often of our face, and put it onto another image or video, using AI technology that can make the resulting picture or video look very, very real. The original image may have been shared with consent or stolen from social media accounts and then superimposed onto pornographic material. This can be done by using sexual or non-sexual images, as many survivors have experienced non-sexual images being turned into highly graphic or sexual images to abuse them.
Example
Celebrity deepfakes were experienced by Hollywood actress Kristen Bell in 2020, and the Indian journalist Rana Ayyub in 2018.
Hidden cameras either installed or used around our house, workplace, or in any other place we visit regularly, such as a gym, might record or photograph us without our knowledge or permission.
Example
In our Orbits field guide, we share the story of a survivor, Huma, whose partner recorded her every move through hidden cameras.
An abuser might hack our devices, such as a phone, laptop or tablet, and use its camera to spy on or record us. Abusers can use different spyware to do this.
Example
In 2020, many people reported the hacking of their home security camera, Ring, which led to blackmail, racism and death threats related to the visuals captured from their homes.
The abuser could have easy access to our devices and accounts or be someone who knows our passwords, so they might have stolen our visuals. This can also be done by someone who has hacked our devices and has access to our data. If we are a sex worker, this might involve someone illegally downloading our content and resharing it on other platforms, without paying us or asking for our consent.
Example
The Cybersmile Foundation ran a campaign to discourage teenagers from sharing passwords because of the abuse this could lead to.
In cyber flashing, a stranger sends us explicit pictures of themselves, others or content from the internet. This can be through apps, social media, or even data sharing. The abuser may or may not follow this with rape threats or other violent language. While this usually happens online, if the abuser is a partner or someone else with physical access to us, they might force us to consume explicit images and videos by showing these to us directly.
Example
In 2021, fitness influencer, Elle Edwards, talked about how she receives inappropriate images and videos from men daily.
In Zoom bombing, hackers come into an online meeting and bombard it with explicit or racist images. It was named after the video conference app, Zoom, because of a rise in this form of abuse during the initial months of COVID-19. These incidents have targeted meetings such as university graduations and government proceedings.
Example
In 2022, an Italian Senate meeting was interrupted with pornographic content targeted at a member of the Senate.
The abuser may share our images or deepfakes on different platforms such as subscription sites, porn sites, or social media. They may send these to our family or community too. This may be done to earn money, bolster their own reputation, or for any of the reasons explored below. They could also take the abuse offline and could share our printed pictures by post or bulletin boards. Or threaten us through phone calls or in person. Or even send our photos to a magazine without our consent. Such abuse used to be very common previously and can still be practised wherever access to the internet is low.
Sextortion involves forcing someone into sharing more intimate images, paying money, or engaging in any unwanted act. Current or ex-partners may blackmail us by saying they will share our intimate pictures with our employers and family to ruin our so-called “reputation.” Strangers also engage in sextortion for example by trapping us romantically or engaging us in a consensual sexual chat and then threatening to leak our images if we don’t comply. Abusers may actually have our visuals or pretend to have them.
Example
According to the eSafety Commissioner of Australia, in the first quarter of 2023, they received 1700 reports of sextortion, with 90% of the survivors being young men, who abusers got in touch with online.
Outing is when someone shares visuals of us that reveal our gender identity or sexuality when we were not ready to share it yet. It could show us on a date, kissing someone, on a dating app, at a pride rally, dressed in a way associated with the opposite gender/sex, having sex or something else. This is commonly experienced by LGBTQIA+ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual or any other gender or sexuality which isn’t accepted by the mainstream). It can lead to consequences in our community and in our family life. It could be done by anyone, including a friend, a stranger or a current or ex-partner.
Example
In Morocco in 2020, abusers were registering on same-sex dating apps, just to capture images of men on these apps so they could ‘out’ them using social media.
Catfishing is when someone assumes a fake online identity with the intent to trap us, often in a relationship. This often involves identity theft. It can be aided by the usage of either our images and videos or those of another person. By stealing our images, the abuser can pretend they are us, create fake social media profiles using our name, and reach out to loved ones to spread lies about us, to harass or bully us. Or they might be doing this to trap others who don’t know us at all. By using someone else’s images, they could also trap us in a relationship, such as through a dating app. They can then ask us for our intimate images and videos, blackmail us for money, or just get gratification.
Example
Kirrat Assi was catfished by her cousin, Simran Bhogal, who pretended to be a man named Bobby and trapped her in a decade-long relationship. This story was documented in the podcast, Sweet Bobby.
In cyberstalking, the abuser can utilise a variety of methods to track survivors. It is meant to instil fear in us, such as by tracking our online visuals and using them to find our locations. The abuser might track the places we tag or find clues in our images such as by identifying certain buildings. They can use this information to threaten and harass us or even find us in person. It can also involve repeatedly emailing us, sending us disturbing messages, finding all our online accounts and contacting our friends, family or workplace.
Example
In Ireland, one man kept stalking six female writers and journalists in 2019, sending them hundreds of abusive messages until he was finally jailed.
Trolling is relevant whenever our images or videos are circulated and ridiculed. Gendered trolling is when we are targeted particularly because of our gender. Images and videos might be turned into memes, given a different context, or ridiculed such as people making fun of our expressions, body, facial features, or actions. Women and marginalised genders, especially those who are famous, can be at the receiving end of such abuse.
Example
The Brazilian politician Manuela D'Ávila, was targeted with gendered memes during elections in 2018 and 2020. In one meme, her t-shirt was manipulated so that it said ‘Jesus is a transvestite’ though actually the shirt had said ‘Rebel.’
Doxxing, the leaking of personal details like addresses and contact information can also intersect with image-based abuse. For example, the abuser might share an image of us with our phone number, home address, social media profiles or more, and tell people false information about us. This may lead others to harass, harm or even stalk us based on lies, such as about our identity or profession. Or if we are a sex worker and we don’t share our work life with others, a colleague might “out” us by sharing our identifying photos or our name.
Example
An activist in Myanmar, Chomden, faced doxxing in 2021. A video of her having sex with her former boyfriend, along with her name and Facebook profile pictures, was circulated on a Telegram group. She had been outspoken against the military, and the video was shared on a group of military supporters.
What is violating and inappropriate about all forms of image-based abuse is that our agency and control are taken from us by the creation and distribution of this content without our consent. Sharing sexual images can be a pleasurable experience when done with the consent of all parties involved, but this is never the case in image-based abuse.