The second phase of a joint sextortion campaign will help protect Lanarkshire youngsters.
Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown, was joined by representatives of Police Scotland Youth Volunteers and Fearless, Crimestoppers’ youth service, to launch the initiative.
Phase 2, developed to build on the significant achievements of the first phase launched in November, sees an increased focus on outreach activity and will provide more vital information to parents and carers.
Young people in Lanarkshire will also continue to be encouraged to learn more about sextortion through social media ads designed by their peers.
Since the first phase launch, in addition to the significant social media reach, webinars were delivered to 399 youth professionals from health, education and youth work across Scotland.
More than 95 per cent of the attendees felt the campaign increased their knowledge of sextortion, with the majority going on to share their learning with colleagues and making plans to highlight to young people.
One attendee said: “The webinar was very helpful in increasing my understanding, particularly around the barriers to young people coming forward to seek support, including their fear of getting into trouble, and considering how that may further impact their mental health and wellbeing, or create further vulnerabilities to exploitation.”
Phase 2 is only the next step in raising awareness and reducing the considerable harm sextortion causes.
It forms part of a range of future activity to ensure awareness and support remains clear and accessible.
This includes the development of educational tools and the establishment of a national strategic group to ensure that Scotland’s approach to sextortion is co-ordinated and informed by the most up to date information and trends in criminality.
Sextortion is a developing threat and relatively new form of online blackmail where criminals threaten to share nude or semi-nude photos of their victim (often to the victim’s personal contacts on social media) if money isn’t paid or if the victim fails to comply with some other harmful demand.
Sextortion can have a devastating impact on victims. Yet, given the intimate nature of the photos, underreporting of the crime is thought to be high.
It’s essential that young people are encouraged to speak to a trusted adult, report to police directly or contact Childline on 0800 1111 or via their website.
Lyndsay McDade, Fearless Scotland manager at Crimestoppers, told Lanarkshire Live: “I’m delighted that our initial four-week campaign, launched in November, really landed with young people and adults – it was something they chose to engage with and learn from in high numbers.
“Over the next month, in addition to our continued campaign on social media, we’re going to be going into communities to bring this important message to adults who look after young people.
“As a mum of teenagers myself, I know how difficult this topic can seem, but I promise you there is plenty of advice and support available.
“Please visit our website to learn more and talk to your young person about this.
“More than anything, they need to know that they can come to you should this ever happen to them and that they will be helped to get through it.”
Victims and Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown added: “Sextortion has a devastating impact on young people and their families, and I know it can be a difficult topic to discuss and understand.
“It is important to build on the work we did in the first phase which was about encouraging young people never to panic or pay, and to get help and report it.
“This phase is about making parents and carers aware of this horrible crime and what support is available for them should a young person report an incident like this to them.
“Sextortion can have harmful consequences and it is important that any young person who has fallen victim to this horrible crime is listened to, believed and supported.
“This next phase of the campaign will help parents and carers to do that.”
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson, said: “Safeguarding, and keeping our young people, the wider public and our communities safe, remains an absolute priority for Police Scotland, its officers and staff.
“We welcome and support the ongoing Fearless campaign and will continue to work in partnership with a wide range of local and national partners to raise the awareness of sextortion and the harmful consequences.
“Anyone who has been a victim of sextortion is urged not to panic or pay.
“They shouldn’t be embarrassed to report this insidious crime to Police Scotland, a parent, guardian, teacher or someone else they trust.
“Our officers will carry out a thorough investigation to identify those responsible.”
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