What is Sextortion?

By:

Haley McNamara (Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Director at NCOSE) sat down to chat with Marcel van der Watt (CEO and President at NCOSE) to talk about the issue of sextortion. What is it and how pervasive is this issue around the world? Haley helps to define some issues and highlights some current examples. Marcel shares from his own experience in law enforcement as well as shares from recent studies that take a closer look at this. We have a number of resources below, and please don’t hesitate to comment below if you have any specific questions or are looking for a resource!

GET HELP NOW… 

*The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) 24-hour hotline is 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) 

*NCMEC Take It Down tool: https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/ 

*Cyber Civil Rights Initiative: https://cybercivilrights.org/  

*CCRI Image Abuse Helpline: 1-844-878-CCRI (2274) 

MORE RESOURCES: 

Global Organized Crime Index: United States – https://ocindex.net/assets/downloads/2025/english/ocindex_profile_united_states_2025.pdf  

Blog: Sextortion is the Largest Blackmail Operation in Human History – https://endsexualexploitation.org/articles/sextortion-the-largest-blackmail-operation-in-human-history/ 

Webinar: Unmasking the Sextortion Crisis Online – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whnWaXfMSyc 

The Ending Sexploitation Podcast decodes sexual harms and provides you with active solutions. We address the full spectrum of sexual exploitation, from sex trafficking to sexual violence, to rape culture, to pornography, and more. And better yet, we give you the tools to make a difference!

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