Dear Friend,

Imagine you are on the couch, scrolling through your social media, when your phone vibrates with a text from a friend. 

I’m so sorry, I just saw these and thought you should know… And then a URL. 

Stomach in knots, you click the link to a popular app where you see images of yourself that you never meant to see the light of day. These sexual images had only ever been sent to one person, your ex romantic partner who you’d broken up with just a week ago. 

Your eyes sting with tears as you see from the share button that nearly a hundred people have already shared the images within the app. And there is a download button, who knows how many people have already downloaded them? 

Tragically, for 1 in 8 people the actual or threatened non-consensual distribution of sexually explicit images is a reality.  

This is image-based sexual abuse. 

What is Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA)?

“Image-based sexual abuse” (IBSA) is the creation, theft, extortion, threatened or actual distribution, or any use of sexually explicit or sexualized materials without the meaningful consent of the person or persons depicted and/or for purposes of sexual exploitation.

How Can You Help? 

💡Educate Yourself

Learn more about the problem of IBSA, its prevalence, and what solutions are possible by visiting this webpage.

❤️‍🩹 Raise Awareness about Survivor Resources

Share this blog on social media to spread the word about what resources are available to survivors of IBSA. This is crucially important—IBSA is shockingly common, and chances are someone in your network has been victimized!

📣 Call on Google to remove IBSA from search results!

Survivors of IBSA whose images have been distributed online often report that the worst part of their trauma is the continual re-victimization, as countless people watch, download, and re-share videos of their abuse. Please sign this petition, asking Google to prioritize survivor-centered practices to better prevent IBSA and remove it from search results!