Recognising Sextortion in Domestic and Family Violence Contexts - Insights from Two Australian Criminal Cases
Tracks
Ballroom 4: In-Person Only
| Tuesday, November 24, 2026 |
| 1:55 PM - 2:25 PM |
| Ballroom 4 |
Overview
Alana Ray, RMIT University and Victoria Police
Three Key Learnings
1. Our presentation equips delegates with the conceptual language and framing to recognise sextortion within domestic and family violence (DFV) contexts. Delegates will develop an understanding of sextortion as a form of image-based sexual abuse and technology-facilitated sexual violence, and why it needs to be recognised within DFV rather than viewed solely as a financially motivated crime.
2. Insight into how sextortion manifests in DFV relationships as a tool of coercive control, drawn from analysis of two Australian criminal cases. Delegates will learn how perpetrators use intimate images to exert power and control over current or former partners, and how these behaviours intersect with other forms of DFV to cause significant impacts and harms.
3. An understanding of the legal challenges in responding to sextortion under current Australian criminal and civil law, and proposed reforms needed to better address this form of abuse. Delegates will consider the limitations of existing legal frameworks in capturing the coercive nature and harms of sextortion in DFV contexts and examine recommendations for victim-survivor-centred legal and policy reform.
Speaker
Alana Ray
PhD Candidate and Family Violence Lawyer
RMIT University and Victoria Police
Recognising Sextortion in Domestic and Family Violence Contexts - Insights from Two Australian Criminal Cases
Presentation Overview
Technological advancements have enabled new forms of harassment and abuse, especially in domestic and family violence (DFV) contexts. Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) the non-consensual creation, sharing, or threats to share intimate images presents significant challenges in both criminal and civil law. A concerning subtype of IBSA is “sextortion,” where perpetrators threaten to share intimate material unless certain demands are met. Although IBSA methods are evolving, most research on sextortion focuses on financial demands against boys and young men. Limited attention is given to sextortion within intimate relationships, despite evidence that perpetrators are often intimate partners rather than acquaintances or strangers. Our research examines sextortion within DFV using a case study of two Australian criminal cases. We analysed the nature, scope, and harms of DFV sextortion and addressed legal challenges, proposing recommendations to improve Australian legal responses to sextortion within DFV contexts.
Biography
Alana is a PhD candidate at RMIT University. Her research is dedicated to examining the phenomenon of sextortion, a form of image-based sexual abuse and technology-facilitated sexual violence. She is a qualified Australian Legal Practitioner and has primarily practiced as a family law and family violence lawyer in private practice, the community legal sector, and in prosecutions. She currently practices as a family violence prosecutor within Victoria Police. Alana also works at Swinburne University Online as an Academic Delivery Lead and Unit Coordinator in the LLB and Criminal Justice programmes.
