Reports of sharing intimate photos without consent increased in Regina and Saskatoon, police say
CBC
Police in Regina and Saskatoon say there were more complaints about intimate images being shared without consent in 2021 than in previous years.
Sixteen people made these reports to the Regina Police Service (RPS) last year compared to 11 in 2020 and eight in 2019, according to the force's 2021 crime statistics.
A change to the Criminal Code of Canada in 2015 made it illegal to share sexually explicit images without the OK of the person in the photo.
This includes everyone who "knowingly publishes, distributes, transmits, sells, makes available or advertises an intimate image of a person knowing that the person depicted in the image did not give their consent," according to section 162.1 of the criminal code.
A guilty suspect might face prison time of not more than five years, according to Canada's criminal code.
"Revenge porn" is sometimes the motive behind this crime, according to RPS spokesperson Elizabeth Popowich.
"The image is collected when people are involved in a relationship and, when the relationship sours, the images are published to cause harm to the person in the image," Popowich said via email.
Not all of the 2021 reports ended in charges, Popowich said.
Investigations showed that a few of the complaints were "unfounded," meaning they were not true or the sharing was not non-consensual, she said.
Some other reports had "insufficient evidence to proceed." Officers will move forward with these investigations if new evidence comes up, she said.
Six of the reports resulted in charges, she said.
"It's impossible to say if an increase in the number of reports we take is an actual increase in this type of activity in society, or a greater comfort in coming forward," said Popowich.
"We hope people are more comfortable to come forward to police and report when they believe they are the victim of this (or any) crime."
Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) also saw an increase in reports about non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
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