Intimate image sharing key focus of International Women's Day event in Thunder Bay, Ont.

WARNING: This story contains references to physical and sexual violence.

Sharing intimate images without consent was the focus of Friday's International Women's Day flag-raising event in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The keynote address, delivered by social worker Karen Slomke, was in response to an ongoing cyber crime investigation in the northwestern Ontario city. More than a dozen people were charged last month with 172 offences related to the distribution of intimate images without consent, using an online chat platform.

On Thursday, another person was charged in connection with the case. The Thunder Bay Police Service says at least 117 alleged victims have been identified.

"The images themselves are not the issue, unless they were attained through extortion," Slomke said during the event at City Hall.

"It is the violation of ownership, privacy and consent that has caused and continues to cause harm."

As women gathered to raise the white and purple flag, they also spoke of ways to raise awareness of the impact the cyber crime incident has had on the community.

"The victims themselves have been harmed. The family and friends of those victims have been harmed. People wondering if they're also going to be victimized [by] this are harmed," Slomke said.

"This type of event traumatizes every level of our community and just separates people more, because we know trauma impacts the ability of people to relate safely with one another."

Among the charges laid last month were luring, extortion, and child pornography. Police say some of the victims could be as young as 12 years old.

When women experience this type of sexual violence, this erodes their sense of community connection, Slomke said.

"As you're perceived as an object, it's much easier to harm you than it is to harm a person that you know intimately and care for," she said.

Gwen O'Reilly is the executive director of the Northwestern Ontario Women's Centre, which hosted Friday's event. O'Reilly said she invited Slomke to speak because she wanted to help prevent these incidents from occurring.

"The widespread distribution of images of women is something that's being normalized, and there doesn't seem to be any particular organized effort to stop it," O'Reilly said.