The
criminal offence of sextortion has been on the rise in
Australia over the past several years, but the
latest figures released by the eSafety Commissioner show a
staggering rise in reports since the start of 2023, with complaints
nearly tripling compared with the same period last year.
Spike in
sextortion
The eSafety Commissioner received more than 1,700 complaints of
sextortion in the first three months of 2023, up from about 600
over the same period last year.
Nine out of 10 of the complaints were from men, and 70 percent
of those came from those aged 18 to 24 years.
The incidents do not primarily relate to former partners
attempting to cause harm after a soured relationship, which is
sometimes referred to as '
revenge porn', nor are they mainly from sinister
'pranksters' without a thought for the harm the practise
can cause.
