The latest annual report from the Revenge Porn Helpline highlights a concerning rise in cases of intimate image abuse, with a 20.9% increase in reports throughout 2024—the highest ever recorded by the service. Over the past year, 22,275 reports were made, marking a sharp rise from 18,421 in 2023, emphasising the growing need for stronger legal measures and better protections for victims.
Despite the surge in cases, the Helpline has managed to maintain an impressive takedown success rate of 90.9% for reported intimate images. Since the service was launched in 2015, more than 412,000 intimate images have been reported, with 387,000 successfully removed.
Key Findings from the 2024 Report:
- Perpetrators & Victims: Over 81% of cases (where identified) involved a male perpetrator. Where the perpetrator was identified, 58.4% were current or former partners, 22.7% were known acquaintances, and 8.9% were linked to criminal gangs.
- Sextortion Prevalence: Sextortion was the most reported harm, accounting for 22.7% of cases.
- Re-victimisation: The Helpline continued to report 61,213 images from historic cases in 2024 (260% increase from 2023), reflecting the ongoing impact of intimate image abuse.
- Gendered Disparity in Law Enforcement Response: Victims were nearly four times more likely to have a negative experience than a positive one when interacting with law enforcement. Of 457 recorded cases, 363 resulted in negative interactions, with female victims disproportionately affected (304 negative vs. 66 positive experiences).
- Younger Adults Largely Affected: Out of the 793 cases where age data was available, the largest affected groups were young adults: 308 cases involved individuals aged 18-24, followed by 239 cases in the 25-34 age group.
- Scale of Impact: Analysis suggests 1.42% of adult women in the UK experience non-consensual intimate image (NCII) abuse annually equivalent to the entire adult female population of Birmingham.