The Revenge Porn Helpline has released its 2025 Annual Report, revealing a sharp rise in intimate image abuse cases whilst highlighting the growing scale and complexity associated with this harm.
Operated by SWGfL, the Helpline recorded nearly 25,000 reports in 2025, an 11% increase on the previous year, marking it the busiest year on record since launching in 2015.
Alongside this surge in demand, the Helpline reported over 20,800 intimate images for removal, a 34% increase, achieving a removal rate of more than 94%.
Women Disproportionately Targeted
The data reveals a stark gender divide in how image-based abuse is experienced:
- 98.9% of reported images were of women
- Women had an average of over 10 images shared per case
- 84.6% of female victims identified (where known) a male perpetrator, most commonly a current or former partner
These findings reinforce the gendered nature of intimate image abuse.
Sextortion Dominates Male Experiences
For men, the picture looks very different. The majority of cases involve financially motivated sexual extortion (sextortion), often carried out by organised criminal gangs frequently being based overseas.
- 53% of male clients reported sextortion
- 82.6% of perpetrators in male cases were criminal gangs
Abuse Happening Across Public and Private Channels
The report highlights how image-based abuse spans a much wider ecosystem:
- The most common location was adult websites (26.8%)
- But nearly 1 in 5 cases involved private channels such as messaging apps
This demonstrates the challenge of tackling abuse that moves fluidly between public platforms and private networks.
Growing Concern Around Mental Health
The emotional toll continues to remain significant:
- Reports of worsening mental health conditions doubled year-on-year
- Victims also reported impacts including job loss, financial harm, and relationship breakdown
Despite this, many victims remain hesitant to seek help through the criminal justice system. Only 4% reported their case to the police, with 76% of those reporting negative experiences.
A Decade of Impact
The Revenge Porn Helpline marked its 10th anniversary in 2025 and saw totals of 85,000 cases and over 450,000 images removed since 2015.
Sophie Mortimer Head of Support Services at SWGfL said: “We’ve made real progress, but the system is still too slow, too fragmented, and too difficult for those affected. We need a coordinated response, from platforms, policymakers and law enforcement, to truly tackle this harm.”
Support is Available
The Revenge Porn Helpline offers free, confidential support to adults in the UK affected by image-based abuse, including help with reporting, removal as well as signposting towards legal guidance and emotional support.
