An Instagram account that called out predatory Canadian tattoo artists by publishing anonymous allegations of sexual assault has shut down.
In a post made on Saturday evening, Victims Voices Tattooing Canada said it was shutting down the Instagram account in an effort to protect the survivors who shared their stories.
“To preserve the anonymity of our team and the brave survivors who came forward to share their stories here at Victims Voices Tattooing Canada – we will be shutting down this account at midnight,” Victims Voices Tattooing Canada wrote in its final post, which was published on Saturday evening.
Victims Voices Tattooing Canada launched on July 4, posting stories and allegations of sexual abuse by tattoo artists from across Canada.
The allegations prompted at least one accused artist to stop tattooing and several shops to fire employees, including parlours on Vancouver Island.
Painted Lotus artist Corey Lyon and Dave Hadden of Carne Tattoo were fired after sexual assault allegations against them were made on the Instagram account.
“We want to thank all the survivors for the courage to share their stories. Because of your bravery to come forward – some of the biggest sex offenders in Canadian tattooing have been rooted out and exposed,” Voices Tattooing Canada wrote in its final post.
“We stand hand in hand with you. We believe you. We hope that you find some healing through what has been done here collectively.”
Voices Tattooing Canada had amassed more than 25,000 followers in seven days. The account has now shut down.
None of the allegations against Lyon and Hadden have been proven in court.
READ: Victoria Police Department faces backlash over tweets regarding tattoo parlour allegations
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