Signs | Sexual Violence | Cyberbullying | Revenge Porn |
Sexual Grooming | Sextortion | Sex Trafficking | Get Help

An abusive or toxic relationship consists of a pattern of behaviors used to maintain power and control over a former or current intimate partner, which tends to escalate over time. Whether the violence is physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, financial, stalking or harassing, it is all abuse and unacceptable in any situation, at any age.

Signs

If your partner…..

• harms you physically in any way
• threatens harm 
• tries to force you into any type of sexual act 
• tries to control parts of your life, like how you dress, who you hang out with, and what you say
• often shames you or makes you feel unworthy
• twists the truth to make you feel you are to blame for their actions (gaslighting)
• demands to know where you are at all times
• often acts jealous or angry when you want to spend time with your friends
• makes mean or rude comments on social media
• demands access to your phone or your social media accounts

…consider it a warning sign and please seek help from a trusted adult or contact the Rhode Island 24-hour Helpline at 1-800-494-8100. Everyone deserves healthy relationships.

Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is sexual activity without consent. Sexual consent is when you and your sexual partner both agree to have sex or engage in any kind of sexual activity. Everyone involved in sexual activity should feel comfortable and safe at all times.

You ALWAYS have the final say when it comes to YOUR body. Learn more about Consent.

Sexual violence is not just rape. It includes many forms of unwanted sexual attention, including physical contact and harassment. Most survivors of sexual violence were harmed by someone they knew. Roughly 1 in 3 victims of sexual assault experienced their first assault between the ages of 11-17, according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.

Know that everyone has the legal right to a safe school environment, free from sexual violence or unwanted sexual attention, guaranteed by Title IX (Title Nine) of the Educational Amendments of 1972. Learn more about your Right to Safe Schools.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, please seek help from a trusted adult or contact the Rhode Island 24-hour Helpline at 1-800-494-8100.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a pattern of unwanted, negative, and/or aggressive behavior that takes place online or by electronic devices such as cell phones. This can include sending, posting, or sharing negative, mean or harmful content about another person, hoping to cause that person shame or embarrassment. Cyberbullying can also lead to in-person bullying and sometimes even criminal activity.

Unfortunately, there have been incidents of youth being so severely bullied online that they have taken their own lives as a result of the overwhelming humiliation they feel from having sensitive, personal information shared online without their consent. It’s very important to be mindful of the impact of your actions in online spaces, as online behavior often has real-world impacts.

If you or someone you know is experiencing cyberbullying, please reach out to a trusted adult and/or organizations such as Right to Be.

Revenge Porn

“Revenge porn” is the sharing of sexually explicit images or videos of an adult over the age of 18 WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT. Typically, this involves posting the content publicly online, usually with personal identifying information of the person or people involved. It is posted with the intent to harm the individuals portrayed and expose them to harassment and other forms of violence.

REVENGE PORN IS ILLEGAL IN RHODE ISLAND. For minors under the age of 18 in sexually explicit images or videos, the “revenge porn” is classified as child pornography or child sexual abuse materials and is subject to an even more serious set of laws.

According to RI General Law § 11-64-3, a person is guilty of revenge porn if they intentionally publish or sell:

• A visual image that depicts another identifiable person eighteen (18) years or older engaged in sexually explicit conduct or of the intimate areas of that person;
• The visual image was made, captured, recorded, or obtained under circumstances in which a reasonable person would know or understand that the image was to remain private;
• The visual image was disseminated, published, or sold without the consent of the depicted person; and
• With knowledge or with reckless disregard for the likelihood that the depicted person will suffer harm, or with the intent to harass, intimidate, threaten, or coerce the depicted person.

If you or someone you know is a victim of revenge porn, please seek help from a trusted adult or contact the Rhode Island 24-hour Helpline at 1-800-494-8100.

Sexual Grooming

Sexual grooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust, and emotional connection with a person in order to manipulate and exploit them for sexual purposes. Often groomers seek out victims they can easily have power over – children or other vulnerable individuals.

They may provide gifts or make promises to the victim about the future, money or safety, which can result in a false sense of trust or cause the victim to rely on the groomer too much for a job, money or a feeling of safety. The groomer might gain the victim’s trust gradually, making them feel special or cared for, with the ultimate goal of engaging in sexual activity or abuse. It’s a form of manipulation and exploitation that can have serious and harmful consequences for the victim, both physical and psychological.

If you or someone you know has experienced grooming, please seek help from a trusted adult or contact the Rhode Island 24-hour Helpline at 1-800-494-8100.

Sextortion

Sextortion refers to a form of sexual exploitation where someone threatens or blackmails another person (the victim), often involving the sharing of sexually explicit images of the victim with the public or people in their lives. Often demands are made for more sexual content, sexual acts, or money.

Blackmailers may have used deceit or coercion to get initial sexual images, and continue to make threats and demands over multiple platforms. Red flags include asking for sexual images quickly and asking victims to move to a more private social media platform. Blackmailers may use information about victims online to gain their trust and form a connection. They may also use false identities online to appear more like a peer or a legitimate modeling agency.

Unfortunately, as technology advances, blackmailers may also threaten to create fake sexually explicit images featuring their victim using digital editing or steal existing, unshared images from devices or cloud storage.

If you or someone you know is being sextorted, please seek help from a trusted adult or contact the Rhode Island 24-hour Helpline at 1-800-494-8100. Incidents of trafficking of a minor should also be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Sex Trafficking

Sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. If Person 1 has Person 2 engage in sexual acts with others so that Person 1 benefits financially, Person 1 is engaging in sex trafficking; Person 2 is a victim of sex trafficking and should seek help from a trusted adult or contact the Rhode Island 24-hour Helpline at 1-800-494-8100. listed below. 

The commercial sexual exploitation of minors does not require force, fraud or coercion in order to be considered trafficking. Any interaction where a sexual act is performed for the exchange of an item of value, whether it’s actual money, shelter, food, drugs, clothing, electronics, etc, can be considered a commercial sex act.

Traffickers often use fear and intimidation to keep their victims under their control, but may also pretend to be a romantic partner of their victim. Victims of trafficking may have a hard time realizing how they are being abused, as the trauma of trafficking can also cause victims to form a bond with their trafficker. Warning signs of a trafficking victim can include missing school often, spending time with much older people, exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and having lots of new and expensive belongings.

To better understand how traffickers gain access to their victims, please see the section on “Sexual Grooming”.

If you or someone you know is being trafficked, please seek help from a trusted adult or contact the Rhode Island 24-hour Helpline at 1-800-494-8100. Incidents of trafficking of a minor should also be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Get Help

Get Help in Rhode Island:
In an emergency, please call 911

Rhode Island 24-hour Helpline:
1-800-494-8100

MORE HELP IN RHODE ISLAND

Get Help Outside of Rhode Island:
In an emergency, please call 911

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:
Dial 988

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)