‘Sexual extortion’ on the rise but there is help, expert says
⭐️HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
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WARNING: This story discusses suicide, sexual assault and online harassment. These are serious issues that may be upsetting or difficult to read. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact Kids Help Phone or Talk Suicide Canada immediately.
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In 2012, at the age of 15, a British Columbia girl named Amanda Todd ended her life after years of online bullying.
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The man who molested her, Aidan Choban, has already been convicted of multiple offences.
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These included using her nude photos as blackmail and distributing them online.
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Amanda’s story sparked a global conversation about cyberbullying and harassment.
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CBC Kids News spoke to an expert to find out how kids can get help.
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Read on to find out what you need to know to stay safe. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
After 10 long years, a Dutch man accused of causing a teenage girl to end her life has been convicted.
On August 6, Aidan Coban was convicted in British Columbia Supreme Court of extortion, two counts of possession of child pornography, child luring and criminal harassment against Amanda Todd.
A date for Coban’s sentencing hearing – the procedure that decides his punishment – will be set on Thursday.
Coban spent years abusing Todd, a girl from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, starting when she was just 12 years old.
He began by distributing nude photos of Amanda online without her consent.
Amanda died by suicide in 2012, aged 15, after more than three years of online bullying and harassment by peers and strangers.
Cases of children being blackmailed with nude images are on the rise, according to Cybertip.ca, an organization run by the Canadian Child Advocacy Centre.
CBC Kids News spoke with an expert to find out what kids need to know to protect themselves from online sexual harassment.
Read on for these tips.
What happened to Amanda Todd?
Before her suicide on September 7, 2012, Amanda posted a nine-minute video on YouTube where she used flash cards to share how she had been bullied.
After her death, the video was discovered on her personal channel and went viral. It was soon covered by news organizations around the world.
It has almost 15 million views to date.
Carol Todd, Amanda Todd’s mother, holds a photo of her late daughter signed by American singer Demi Lovato. (Image: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)
In the video, Amanda explained how she would use video chat in 7th grade to talk to strangers online.
A stranger persistently asked her to send nude photos of herself.
He eventually convinced Amanda to bare her breasts during a video chat where he took screenshots without her consent.
He then used these photos to blackmail Amanda by threatening to send them to her friends and family.
Blackmail involves demanding something from someone in exchange for not revealing harmful or sensitive information about them.
Victim of sexual extortion
In that case, the stranger, later identified by police as Coban, threatened to send those photos to her friends unless she sent more.
This is a version of extortion called sexual blackmail or “sexual extortion.”
According to Cybertip.ca, sexual blackmail is “when someone online threatens to send a sexual image or video of you to other people if you don’t pay the person or provide more sexual content.”
In this infographic, Cybertip.ca highlights recent research that they say shows an increase in sexual extortion among youth. (Image credit: Cybertip.ca)
In 2010, the police informed Amanda that nude photos of her were circulating online.
Then her classmates discovered them.
Amanda began experiencing bullying and cyberbullying and had to change schools several times.
During the trial, Amanda’s mother, Carol Todd, wore this locket, which included her initials and Amanda’s names. (Image credit: Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press).
In her video, Amanda said she was relentlessly bullied and fell into a deep depression.
On October 10, 2012, after three years of trying to escape the abuse, Amanda committed suicide.
Helpline for children
How the suspect was caught
In 2013, Facebook launched an investigation into a person suspected of online harassment.
Coban was arrested in 2014 by Dutch police.
They searched his computers and hard drives and found files related to Amanda and many other child victims.
In 2017, a Dutch court sentenced Coban to 10 years and eight months in prison on charges of abusing 34 young girls and five men.
Coban was originally set to face criminal charges related to Amanda’s case in 2018, but the pandemic and other factors delayed his trial in Canada until last June.
After spending seven weeks on trial in British Columbia Supreme Court, he was convicted despite pleading not guilty to all charges.
After the verdict, Amanda’s mother, Carol Todd, looked very happy.
“If I could tell Amanda a message, it would be that we’ve always believed in you,” her mother said.
After her death, Amanda’s mother started the “Light Up Purple” campaign. Every year on October 10, which is also World Mental Health Day, landmarks and public buildings around the world are lit up in Amanda’s favorite color. Pictured here is Investors Group Field, a stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 2015 (Image: Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
How to protect yourself from sexual harassment
CBC Kids News spoke with Steven Sauer, director of Cybertip.ca, about the risks of sharing nude images online.
“Once you send a sexual image, you really have no control over it anymore, no matter who’s on the other end,” Sauer said.
Even sharing a naked body with a boyfriend, girlfriend or partner is a risk.
“It’s not uncommon to see images shared within consensual relationships between youth who are now [posted] online,” he added.
If you fear someone might be trying to extort you, Sauer recommends watching for four red flags:
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If adults pay attention to you online. Adults should never try to be friends with children in an online environment.
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If someone immediately makes the conversation sexual.
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If someone sends a nude image first. If they do, you don’t need to send it back. You should never feel pressured to send a nude image.
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If someone you don’t know communicates with you on a social media platform like Instagram and then tries to take the conversation somewhere private like WhatsApp. Be alert if they also ask for your personal phone number.
People in Surrey, British Columbia attend a vigil for Amanda Todd on October 19, 2012. More than 40 cities around the world held vigils the same day in honor of Amanda. (Image: Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)
How to protect yourself better
If someone threatens to leak nude photos of you unless you send more photos — or money — don’t, Sauer said. It’s a trap.
Instead, he recommends taking the following three steps:
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Stop communicating with the person immediately.
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Deactivate but do not delete your online account. It may need to be presented as evidence in an investigation.
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Get help from either a trusted adult or the police. You can also visit needhelpnow.ca or cybertip.ca for more information.
It’s not your fault. There is help
Sauer said that in many cases, Cybertip will contact Instagram or other networks in real time to disable an abuser’s account. They will also contact the police.
Cybertip staff are also there to help youth and their families through the crisis.
Most importantly, Sauer said to remember that if you’re being sexually harassed, it’s not your fault.
“You might think you’re going to be blamed for this because you shared the image. We want you to know that this is not true. We want to help you,” he said.
Sexual extortion using fakes
Even if you have never shared a naked body, you can still be a victim of sexual extortion.
Last year, the RCMP warned of a new sexual extortion tactic that uses fake or doctored videos.
Sauer said the scam “involves a suspect placing an image of a young person’s face over a video or photo so it appears the young person is naked or engaging in sexual activity.”
The suspect then threatens to send the images to the victim’s family and friends if they don’t send money or gift cards.
If you find yourself in this scenario, you should stop communicating with the person and follow the three steps above.
Being cyberbullied? See this video for help
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TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Courtesy of TELUS Originals With files by Eva Uguen-Csenge/CBC, Jason Proctor/CBC, Vanmala Surbramaniam and Julia Whalen/CBC
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