It takes only seconds to upload a photo. It can take a lifetime to escape its consequences.
The non-consensual sharing of intimate images, known as image-based sexual abuse, has become one of the fastest-growing forms of online exploitation.
Experts estimate that up to 5% of people experience this form of abuse before adulthood.
It includes the unauthorized sharing of explicit images or videos, as well as threats to publish them as a means of coercion or revenge.
While the internet has made communication easier than ever, it has also made private violations frighteningly public.
In many cases, the perpetrator is not an anonymous stranger but someone the victim once trusted, a current or former partner.
In others, organized online groups use messaging apps and private channels to buy, sell and circulate intimate images without consent.
South Korea's notorious Nth Room scandal and recent cases involving online predators in Bangladesh illustrate how easily such abuse can spread in the digital age.
Yet the abuse rarely ends with the leak.
Victims are often blamed for the crime committed against them. Instead of questioning why someone violated another person's privacy, society asks, "Why did you send the photo in the first place?"
Whether the images were shared consensually within a relationship or obtained through hacking or deception, the burden frequently shifts from the perpetrator to the victim.
Fear of humiliation, bullying and social stigma discourages many survivors from reporting the crime or seeking help.
M, a 19-year-old girl, experienced this firsthand.
While she was in high school, her then-partner leaked her intimate photos and videos.
The images were reportedly sold through shared online drives and spread so widely that strangers from other schools began harassing her on social media with sexually abusive messages.
The bullying became so severe that she reached her breaking point.
Image-based sexual abuse can also occur within families and marriages.
The case of French woman Gisèle Pélicot shocked the world after it emerged that her husband had allegedly drugged her for years and invited strangers to sexually assault her while secretly recording the abuse.
Research shows that the consequences extend far beyond the digital world.
Survivors frequently experience anxiety, depression, shame and social isolation, while many report suicidal thoughts.
Losing control over intimate images often means losing a sense of safety, dignity and trust.
Image-based sexual abuse is not simply a breach of privacy.
It is a violation of trust, autonomy and human dignity.
As technology evolves, laws, online platforms and society must evolve with it.
Perpetrators must be held accountable, victims must be supported rather than blamed, and digital spaces must become safer for everyone.
The question should never be, "Why did you send the photo?"
It should be, "Why did someone choose to violate another person's trust?"