TEENAGERS engaging in a revenge porn Snapchat account circulating across the region risk being convicted of child sex offences and being jailed for up top 10 years.
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The Snapchat account, which has recently surfaced, features images of Bathurst teenagers and has been shared on the social media site without their consent.
One victim, who was 16 when she took the photo now featured on the social media site, said her image was just one of many Bathurst females on there.
This week, the girl, who the Australian Community Media is not naming, said she chose to speak out in the hope it will help other young women, initially raising the issue on her Facebook page.
She said she only found out her image, which was taken two years ago, was among the Snapchat group through a friend.
There are the boys who think that it's okay to share it with their mates or to have a laugh.
- One of the revenge porn victims.
"I do not know the circumstances of how it got out and quite frankly I don't really care any more. What I do care about though is using this opportunity to make others aware," she said.
"There are young girls out there who are not in the situation that I am in. I have a loving and supportive family that I went to as soon as I became aware of this.
"I am someone with a high self esteem, who is comfortable in the body I am in and am able to comprehend the consequences of a photo I took when I was younger and shared with someone I trusted.
"Unfortunately this is not everybody's case.
"There would be young girls out there who are dealing with this by themselves who have possibly been slut shamed because she trusted the wrong person.
"Then there are the boys who think that it's okay to share it with their mates or to have a laugh.
She said this culture "needs to stop".
"To anyone who has shared the image of me or a picture like this to someone else just stop for a second and think what if that was your sister or even one day your daughter and chose to click delete, rather than share."
Anyone participating in the dissemination of child pornography can expect to be fully investigated by police and be dealt with at law.
- Chifley Police District Inspector Gerard Powell
Chifley Police District Inspector Gerard Powell said police in the past have received complaints about similar social media sites being shared, and each incident is fully investigated.
He said in NSW, under the Crimes Act it is an offence to access, transmit, publish or distribute, possess, supply, produce or make available through a carriage service child abuse material.
"Anyone participating in the dissemination of child pornography can expect to be fully investigated by police and be dealt with at law," he warned.
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