Your nude is out there. Now what?

Winnipeg, MB: Today, on Cybertip.ca Awareness Day, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (the Canadian Centre) and the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) are teaming up to launch a campaign letting youth know that if their nude is being shared, help is available.

Cybertip.ca receives an average of seven direct requests for assistance EVERY WEEK from youth in crisis tied to the non-consensual sharing of a sexual picture, and has more than 2,400 unique visitors every month accessing information online to help youth manage these types of situations.

“When a teen is in crisis because their intimate image is being shared, it can be devastating. We’ve lost too many kids who felt they had nowhere to turn,” said Signy Arnason, Associate Executive Director at the Canadian Centre. “It’s not enough to say ‘don’t send a nude’ — the reality is it is happening. We need to be working together to get teens the help they need when the situation gets out of their control.”

In Canada it is illegal for a person to distribute an intimate image of another person without that person’s consent. Under Manitoba’s Intimate Image Protection Act, the Canadian Centre is the designated organization to help Manitobans and provide support to those impacted by the non-consensual distribution of an intimate image.

“The WPS is proud to collaborate with the Canadian Centre to bring awareness to our youth on healthy relationships,” said Inspector Kelly Dennison. “Cybertip.ca offers a multitude of resources for our youth when they are struggling because of the sharing of an intimate image.”

How can teens get help?

1. Cybertip.ca has information for teens at www.cybertip.ca/intimateimages on how to report to Cybertip.ca or get help over the phone, steps they can take if their image is being shared, and what to do if they are being blackmailed or threatened.
2. Over the coming weeks, WPS School Resource Officers will be presenting age-appropriate information and resources from the Canadian Centre to middle and high school classrooms on the sharing of intimate images.
3. The Canadian Centre and WPS are asking the public to help us spread the campaign online by retweeting @CdnChildProtect and @WinnipegPolice and sharing on Facebook the important message for teens that if their nude is being shared, there is help.

Campaign imagery for media use is available for download here: https://www.cybertip.ca/resources/zip/cybertip-campaign-fall2018.zip