Naming, Shaming, and Ending Sextortion: A Toolkit

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This Toolkit was published in 2012 as part of a three-year program on “Stopping the Abuse of Power through Sexual Exploitation: Naming, Shaming, and Ending Sextortion,” undertaken by the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) in partnership with the Association of Women Judges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Philippine Women Judges Association, and the Tanzania Women Judges Association.

For three years, the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) and its partner associations have worked to understand sextortion and identify ways to combat it. We have heard story after story of power abused and vulnerability exploited – and victims who believe that the courts either do not care or will not help. What distinguishes sextortion from other types of sexually abusive conduct is that it has both a sexual component and a corruption component. Conduct that does not include both components is not sextortion. 

The Toolkit is intended to address these nuances. It helps raise awareness about sextortion and provides the “tools” – guidance, information, and resources – with which to address a pervasive, but often hidden, form of corruption that degrades its victims and undermines social institutions around the world. The toolkit attempts to:

• Give the problem a name;
• Identify existing legal provisions;
• Identify institutional and other barriers to effective prosecution; and
• Formulate an action plan.

The IAWJ will forever be grateful to the Government of the Netherlands for its vision and generosity, and for having provided the funding, through its MDG3 Fund, to undertake this program. The IAWJ would also like to thank its partners in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Philippines, and Tanzania for having contributed to this Toolkit and for their wisdom, leadership, and tireless dedication in working to name, shame, and end sextortion.

The opinions and views expressed in this Toolkit are the work of the IAWJ and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of the Government of the Netherlands.

Read the toolkit here.