The website, hosted overseas, has become a forum for men to post, trade and pursue naked or otherwise illicit images of women without their consent – some of whom are of high school age.

Three Maitland area schools were included in the list of victims’ schools published elsewhere in the media this week.

The news rightly prompted outrage across the Hunter, with police issuing warnings and safety advice and urging those women targeted to lodge a report with investigators.

Given the fact that the website in question is based in another nation, it remains to be seen what power the Australian Federal Police have to stop this disgusting behaviour, which could easily have serious mental health impacts on the innocent victims.

And it is important to point out that the victims are, indeed, not to blame.

In the days since this story broke, there have been some commentators – and many voices on social media – who have criticised these young women for taking the nude photos in the first place.

To say that this problem wouldn’t exist if the photos weren’t ever created misses the point and places blame on the wrong party.

Illicit photos of a person may exist but this does not mean they deserve exploitation.

People should be allowed to legally explore their sexuality however they see fit, without the fear of falling victim to people who wants to exert their power and treat others like meat.

There’s no doubt the actions of the grubs who have uploaded these images are despicable, but the reaction to news of the pornography ring also says something concerning about where we are as a society.

The sting is taken out of universal condemnation of the perpetrators when you add a caveat by saying: “If that girl never took that nude selfie, she wouldn’t have become the victim”.

This attitude shows that some parts of society have evolved little beyond the victim blaming that was once commonly aimed at women who were rape victims.

So rather than allowing the victim blaming to continue, lets place the onus entirely and unconditionally on the people who should justifiably be condemned.