Online sites 'trading' images of girls as young as 14

Campaigners seeking to make image-based sexual assault a criminal offence

The practice has been identified in a number of forums, which allow users to swap, and share these images freely. File picture: PA

Irish girls as young as 14 are being targeted by online forums which share pictures of image-based sexual assault.

The practice has been identified in a number of forums, which allow users to swap and share these images freely. The pictures often show the women, or in some cases, minors, naked or in sexual settings.

In some cases, information such as the victim’s name, age, address, and where they work or go to school is attached to the image. 

In others, their social media accounts and even the bars and nightclubs where they are known to frequent is attached. 

These websites allow users to operate anonymously. The users can be seen requesting images of certain victims, or victims from certain areas. They also offer to “trade” images or videos of certain victims, for images of other victims.

Megan Sims, a victim of image-based sexual abuse, has been campaigning to make the acts, commonly referred to as revenge porn, a criminal offence.

She has spent months attempting to get these sites shut down, and has come across thousands of Irish victims, some as young as 14.

“I am currently working on five websites trying to get images removed. There are hundreds, if not thousands, on the internet and the same amount of people affected," said Ms Sims. 

"There are girls from as young as 14 to women in their 40s posted on these websites and their images are traded like Pokemon cards, with the worth of the photos based on how attractive the girl is deemed.”

Cork’s Sexual Violence Centre founder Mary Crilly said parents need to speak to their sons rather than their daughters about this problem.

“Parents are forever watching out for their daughters, but what about their son’s behaviour? It’s about time they were held accountable. I hate this mentality of ‘it’s only lads’ and ‘boys will be boys’," said Ms Crilly. 

"If someone shares an image of a girl who is under 18, those are child sexual abuse images, and I would love to see them be charged for child sexual abuse images."