Sexual offences
On this page you will find information on sexual offences faced by children and young people.
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Seksuaalirikokset (tietoa rikoksista, hero) ENG
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Ahdistavat yhteydenotot (seksuaalirikokset-sivu) ENG
Distressing contacts
If you receive unpleasant or distressing contacts online do the following:
- Don't answer the contacts.
- Save the messages and comments, take screenshots.
- Write down when, where and from who the messages or comments came from.
- Block and report the person who contacted you.
- Talk about it to adults, contact a help organization and file a police report if necessary.
Testaa tietosi: Seksuaalinen väkivalta ENG
Test your knowledge: Sexual violence
Sexual violence always happens face to face harassment online doesn't count as sexual violence.
FALSE
Sexual violence happens face to face and online. Sexual violence includes for example sexual comments, touching without permission, forcing someone to watch porn, sexual material or sexual act, forcing someone to have sex and rape. Sexual violence isn't always physical coercion sometimes someone agrees to have sex for example because of mental coercion.
Partner has to say out loud if you are allowed to touch them and you need to get verbal permission for sexual acts even if you have no doubt about the other person wanting to do them.
TRUE
You can't read the other person's mind based on behaviour. Always ask out loud before you touch another person and wait until you get a verbal permission. It can feel dumb but after the first time you will notice that sexual acts are more fun when you have verbal permission from the other person.
Forcing a partner to have sex isn't a rape if it's done by a partner and no violence is used to force them into it.
FALSE
Forcing someone to have sex, violent sex or rape are crimes also in a relationship. Everyone has the right to refuse sex also in a relationship. Having sex with someone who is intoxicated is a crime if they are not able to give permission also in a relationship. Permission from both parties is always required for having sex.
Watching porn as a minor is punishable act.
FALSE
The age limit of porn videos in Finland is 18. Watching porn as a minor doesn't lead to any kind of punishment. There is not necessarily anything wrong with watching porn but you should remember that porn is fake and it gives one-sided depiction of sex.
If an adult shows porn to a person under the age of 18 they commit a crime.
I would want to send a nude of myself to my girlfriend. I can trust that it won't spread anywhere else because I trust her.
FALSE
Even if the recipient of a picture promises to keep the picture only to themselves it can still fall into the wrong hands. The picture might for example get published online on purpose or by accident and it is hard to get off from there even for police.
Sending a nude or a genital picture forward without permission is a crime.
TRUE
By sending a naked picture of someone else forward you will commit a crime that will cause a lot of suffering to the person.
Sugar dating means that you have been in a relationship for over a year.
TARUA
Sugar dating is a relationship where older and richer adult sponsors a younger companion. Sugar dating is not a harmless phenomenon because it contains an uneven power dynamic.
A relationship between an adult and a minor can never be called sugar dating, because offering benefits in exchange of sexual acts to someone under the age of 18 is a crime. In such a case it is considered sexual violence.
Have you been pressured to commit a sexual act or experienced sexual violence by an adult or another young person online or face to face?
If you answered yes or hesitated, ask for help!
Speaking up about sexual violence is not easy but do it anyway and don't downplay you experience. If you are yourself a young person and the situation concerns an adult it is crucial that the situation is intervened with. No situation is too minor to be processed.
You can talk about the situation by contacting a safe adult or for example the following organizations: