What Is Sextortion? Extortion Using Sexual Materials That Are Rising

What is sextortion (Freepik)

YOGYAKARTA - In the digital era that is increasingly advanced, sexual crimes do not only occur physically, but also through cyberspace. One form of crime that has been rampant lately is sextortion. So what is sextortion and how to avoid it?

Sexual crimes in the form of sextortion have claimed quite a lot of victims. Some of the victims admitted that they experienced fraud with sexual content and were threatened with distributing photos and videos. In addition to causing moral losses, victims of sextortion usually also suffer material or money losses.

That's why it's so important to recognize what sextortion is and how to avoid it.

Sextortion is a term that may still be foreign to some people, but the impact is very serious and can damage the lives of victims. Sextortion is a form of extortion that involves the threat of spreading sexual material to victims, such as photos or intimate videos, if the victim does not meet the demands of the perpetrators.

This phenomenon is increasingly worrying along with the increasing use of social media and other digital platforms. Sextortion often begins with psychological manipulation.

Perpetrators usually use tactics to gain the victim's trust. For example by pretending to be close friends, a romantic partner, or even someone who has the authority.

After the victim is trapped in the relationship, the perpetrator will ask or manipulate the victim to send sexual material. Once the perpetrator gets the material, they will use it as a weapon to extort victims, either financially, sexually, or psychologically.

Sextortion usually occurs in several stages. First, the perpetrator will try to build relationships with the victim, either through private messages, dating apps, or social media platforms.

They may use a false identity or disguise as someone who catches the victim's attention. Once a relationship is formed, the perpetrator will begin asking for sexual material such as intimate photos or videos under the pretext of strengthening relationships or as a form of trust.

Once the perpetrators get the material, they will immediately change their attitude. Victims will be threatened with the dissemination of the material to the public, including family, friends, or even superiors at work, if the victim does not meet the demands of the perpetrators.

The demands requested by the perpetrator to the victim could be in the form of money, further sexual material, or even other actions that harm the victim.

The impact of sextortion on victims can be very severe, both psychologically and socially. Victims often feel pressured, embarrassed, and afraid of their destroyed reputation.

This shame can make victims reluctant to report the crime to the authorities or even to those closest to them. As a result, many cases of sextortion were not revealed and the perpetrators continued to be free to commit similar crimes to other victims.

In addition, victims can also experience mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and even thoughts of suicide. The pressure given by the perpetrators, coupled with the guilt and shame felt by the victims, can make them feel trapped and have no way out.

While sextortion is a serious crime, there are several steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of becoming a victim:

Demikianlah review tentang apa itu sextortion sebagai bentuk kejahatan seksual yang memanfaatkan teknologi dan media digital untuk memeras korban. Dengan meningkatkan warga dan edukasi, kita dapat mengurangi risiko menjadi korban sextortion. Baca juga upaya melindungi perempuan dari kekerasan seksual.

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