Kate

Kate had been dating Lachlan for three years. He was her first boyfriend and they were totally in love.

One day Lachlan asked Kate to send him some ‘special pics — just for him’. Kate trusted Lachlan, so she texted him a couple of topless photos and made him promise to delete them straight away.

When Kate returned to her high school, something didn’t feel right.

She noticed people staring at her or looking the other way.

One of Lachlan’s friends told Kate that Lachlan had shared her photos with their mates via group chat and now someone had posted her photos online. Kate was mortified and confronted Lachlan. He promised he had only sent the photos to his mates and denied posting them online. Kate couldn’t believe he had broken his promise to her — regardless of how he did it.

It wasn’t long before Kate’s school and parents found out. She was worried about what everyone would say, especially her parents. But she was surprised about how reassuring and positive they all were. No one thought it was Kate’s fault.

Kate’s parents helped her report the online photos to eSafety and they were removed. The group chat was also closed down and the boys promised to delete the photos from their phones.

Lachlan apologised to Kate but they broke up anyway. She made it clear to him that it’s never OK to share someone else’s photo — it doesn’t matter whether you post it online or send it to friends, image-based abuse is never OK.

*_{Kate's story combines the experiences and emotions of a number of individuals in this situation. Commissioned photo. Posed by model.}