TELEGRAM GROUPS AS VIRTUAL SAFE HAVENS FOR IMAGE-BASED SEXUAL ABUSE OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

Mass cases of image-based sexual abuse highlighted the exploitation, intimidation and humiliation of women and girls across the region. Abusers have found a digital safe space to exploit and intimidate women in the comfort of their anonymity and lack of accountability.

The feminist organisation OsnaŽene (Empowered Women), based in Serbia, published an article investigating Telegram groups where photos of girls and women are shared and sexualised. Members of the organisation infiltrated groups where explicit images of women and girls were shared without their consent, and requests were made for pictures of minors, mothers, sisters and aunts of the group members. One of the largest groups had nearly 70,000 members and others had tens of thousands of members. Although Telegram allows anonymity, judging by their usernames, most of these groups were run by a small number of profiles who profited from the exploitation and sexual abuse of women and girls.

Members of OsnaŽene explained how they operate: “With or without financial compensation, they [group administrators] receive photos and videos of mostly underage girls (with the code: -18) who send the material in confidence, then collect as many photos and videos as possible and sell them for a minimum price of 50 euros. When they have made enough money from these victims, they share the material publicly because they cannot profit any more from it as the photos/videos have already circulated enough”.

Other worrying cases mentioned in the article show that men in these groups make requests to share, sexualise and ‘rate’ photos of their mothers, sisters and aunts with other members, as well as countless requests for child pornography.

This is not a new phenomenon in Serbia or the region, there have been many cases reported in the media over the past seven years. Among the most notable cases in Serbia were investigative stories by BIRN journalists Anđela Milivojević and Hristina Cvetičanin Knežević, published in 2021 and 2023, in which dozens of victims disclosed their personal stories, often saying that they shared these photos in confidence with their partners, or that they were secretly filmed by their partners, who later shared them on Telegram and similar platforms, even on pornographic websites. Milivojević’s recent story revealed cases of AI-generated images of “naked” women found on Telegram. The software used to create these images allows anyone to use artificial intelligence to remove clothing from a photo. Users could ask this software to “strip naked” women they know or found on social media, simply by providing a photo of them.

These cases are often referred to as ‘revenge porn’, but experts in the field suggest that this is not the best term to use, as most of this content was not created for pornographic purposes, at least not for widespread distribution. Even if these photos and videos were consensually shared with one person, that does not mean they were shared consensually on social media platforms or in mass online communities.

The problem with the ‘revenge’ part of the term is that although it implies the harm that is intended by sharing this content, it can also implicate that the victim has done something wrong to cause or ‘deserve’ such revenge, reinforcing the victim-blaming narratives that are often present when discussing sexual violence. Therefore, this term can be harmful to victims, as well as simplify diverse experiences of image-based sexual abuse.

The term image-based sexual abuse is considered a more appropriate alternative as it describes more accurately the experiences of victims and the nature of this type of violence, which is a form of digital sexual and gender-based violence. Defined as such, it refers to acts of non-consensual sharing of sexually explicit images and videos.

Many media outlets in Serbia reported on these cases and journalists, together with activists for women’s rights, truly put this important topic on the agenda, as the institutions remain silent. More than a month has passed since OsnaŽene published its findings and relevant authorities have still not taken significant steps to hold perpetrators accountable or to address and prevent this problem.

When it comes to the legal framework in Serbia, this type of abuse is not defined as a specific criminal offence.  For the police or prosecutors to get involved, the case needs to have elements of other criminal offences defined under different laws, such as extortion, harassment, stalking or child pornography. This leaves many victims without access to justice and institutional protection. The feminist organisation Autonomous Women’s Centre has been advocating since 2022 for revenge pornography to be recognised as a criminal offence in the Penal Code, but, the government has so far failed to respond to such requests.

“Given that institutions are not interested in addressing the issue of sharing intimate photos/videos of girls and women, we certainly have other ways to fight, in addition to, of course, pressuring institutions to do their job,” says Staša Ivković, a member of OsnaŽene and author of the article on Telegram groups in Serbia targeting women and girls, for Reporting Diversity Network.

“Public campaigns and raising awareness about the issue of revenge pornography can create pressure on institutions to react. Unfortunately, we live in a country where institutional response sometimes only happens under public pressure. Of course, the support of friends, family, and the community can provide the necessary emotional support to victims.” Ivković continues.Apart from the help of their community, many women facing this kind of violence lack the necessary psychological and legal support. Ivković adds that since the publication of their research, OsnaŽene has received many requests for help from women in this situation. They plan to work with women across Serbia, informing them of their rights and how to protect themselves online, as well as what to do if they become victims of this type of violence. They are also in the process of registering to provide free legal assistance to women who are victims of image-based sexual abuse. “This is a big step for us, but we believe it is necessary,” she says.

Some countries in the region have managed to regulate this type of abuse, including Montenegro, which recently introduced the criminal offence of abusing recordings, photographs, portraits, audio recordings and files with sexually explicit content, which carries a prison sentence of up to two years, while Croatia introduced the criminal offence of abusing sexually explicit recordings in 2022.

Although Kosovo’s legal framework does not recognise image-based sexual abuse as a specific criminal offence, similar to Serbia, some of these cases can be prosecuted under other laws. One of the best-known cases of such Telegram groups in Kosovo is the Albkings group, which operates in a similar way to those in Serbia and has been active since January 2023, with over 100 thousand members. After the leak of 20,000 photos and 19,000 videos, the group went private, while the law enforcement crackdown began in February 2024, when an 18-year-old man was arrested after a girl reported him for publishing her photos following her refusal to comply with his demands in an attempt to blackmail her, according to BIRN report. At the end of May, seven more suspects were arrested for distributing personal information, photos and videos of women and girls without their consent,  following testimonies of several victims.

Albkings are an example of another harmful practice within these groups, where members intentionally share women’s personal information and contact details, including phone numbers, in order to continue their abuse and harassment. Group administrators encouraged this behaviour with group rules such as “Send numbers, photos/videos, snaps, etc. Only Albanian”. After reporting on the group, two journalists working for Klan Kosova and BIRN, both women, also had their phone numbers and personal information shared on the group. Journalist Ardiana Thaçi Mehmeti was harassed by group members who sent her text messages and called her after she reported on the activities of the Albkings group on the investigative programme KIKS Kosova, which she presents on the Klan Kosova TV channel.

Another pattern within these groups is that they operate across borders, having members throughout the region and the Balkan diaspora, separated only by language. Just as the Albkings group asked for ‘only Albanian’ women, similar requests were made in the groups researched by OsnaŽene in Serbia, with group names such as ‘only domestic’, ‘Balkan sluts’, ‘domestic whores’ and ‘Balkan housewives’. As feminist activist Nikolina Pavićević pointed out, men gather in these groups specifically to target women from the region. In an Instagram post on her platform Kritički, she says: “Pay attention to how they look for local girls, women from the Balkans. This is how they further degrade women and demonstrate control over their territory.“

After her post went viral and received over 80 thousand likes, Pavićević, as well as members of OsnaŽene and the authors of the article exposing the Telegram groups Ana Zdravković, Nikolina Tomašević and Staša Ivković, were targeted by group members on social media and within these groups. The issue of image-based sexual violence in Serbia and Kosovo highlights an obvious gap in our readiness to tackle newer forms of gender-based violence, leaving most victims unable to access justice and safety. Despite the clear rise of this type of violence in the dark corners of the manosphere (made up of online communities that promote misogynistic narratives and target real women) institutions in the region remain unprepared and lack proactive measures to protect victims, hold perpetrators accountable and prevent this type of violence by addressing its root cause – the deeply rooted patriarchy in the societies we live in.

Author: Anja Anđušić

Photo: kovop/Shutterstock.com