(NORFOLK COUNTY, ON) – The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Norfolk County Detachment is alerting all residents about the dangers of Self-Peer Exploitation after police received a complaint from a Norfolk County, Ontario resident.
On Sunday, May 21, 2015 at approximately 2:19 p.m., police received a complaint and began investigating an incident.
Through the course of investigation it was determined that several explicit photos of a 24 year old female were being posted on a social media website and were intentionally being shared with family and friends of the victim.
The OPP is concerned about the safety of those involved, and wants to create a greater awareness about the issue and what can be done if anyone finds themselves overwhelmed with the reality of their actions.
There has been a marked increase in the number of reports involving individuals sending sexually explicit images or videos over the internet to peers. This is called self-peer exploitation. It is also known as sexting.
Police are urging everyone to think before you send that photograph of yourself. Police are hearing more and more stories about photos going viral on the Internet, and peers re-distributing sexually explicit images and videos as a form of bullying or harassment.
“Everyone needs to realize the long and short term dangers of sending out photographs of themselves. Once it’s out there, you can’t get it back. You should not be embarrassed to speak to police about your concerns”, comments Constable Ed Sanchuk.
The investigation is continuing.