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Telegram groups known for sharing illicit sexual content had set their sights on Serbian rights group activist Stasa Ivkovic. In 2021, Ivkovic received anonymous advice that these groups were seeking intimate photos of her and trying to obtain her personal details.
Her social media accounts were flooded with vulgar and insulting messages. This prompted Ivkovic to look into social media chat groups in Serbia, where revenge porn, child pornography, and other illegal content are regularly exchanged.
“They found out everything — my address, who my parents are, and all my other personal information,” Ivkovic, founder of the Belgrade-based rights group Osnazene (or “Empowered Women”), told AFP.
Ivkovic, alongside two colleagues from Osnazene, infiltrated numerous such Telegram groups.
In a report published in June, Osnazene revealed that approximately 10,000 messages are sent daily within the groups they monitored in Serbia. One of the largest groups consists of up to 70,000 members. Ivkovic noted that members often use codes like “teen trade” or “-18” to search for child pornography.
“Male family members, mostly sons, take pictures of their mothers and sisters and then send them to these groups for rating, sharing, and various other purposes,” she said. Upskirting pictures and other intrusive photos are also prevalent. “Women are literally not safe anywhere,” Ivkovic said.
In a similar case, a video of rape was shared in one group, with the victim discovering its circulation only after it had spread across multiple chats. The video was later removed from a pornographic website.
These revelations come up following the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France last month. Durov faces charges for failing to tackle extremist and illegal content on the platform.
Serbia’s Commissioner for Protection of Equality has connected the rise of such groups to “deep-rooted, traditional, patriarchal stereotypes about gender roles in families and communities, where women are seen as the property of men.”
Despite the growth of illicit groups, Serbian authorities have only managed to shut down 13 such groups, according to local reports.
Activists like Ivkovic argue that government inaction only worsens the problem. Serbia lacks specific laws addressing the sharing of unauthorised recordings and pornographic content, including revenge porn.
Belgrade‘s Autonomous Women’s Centre (AZC) has called for tougher laws and has gathered tens of thousands of signatures for a petition. AZC’s Vanja Macanovic warns that the impact on victims can be traumatising. “These videos and photos remain online forever, and the victims live in fear that someone will see them again, potentially restarting the cycle of violence,” Macanovic said.
Her social media accounts were flooded with vulgar and insulting messages. This prompted Ivkovic to look into social media chat groups in Serbia, where revenge porn, child pornography, and other illegal content are regularly exchanged.
“They found out everything — my address, who my parents are, and all my other personal information,” Ivkovic, founder of the Belgrade-based rights group Osnazene (or “Empowered Women”), told AFP.
Ivkovic, alongside two colleagues from Osnazene, infiltrated numerous such Telegram groups.
In a report published in June, Osnazene revealed that approximately 10,000 messages are sent daily within the groups they monitored in Serbia. One of the largest groups consists of up to 70,000 members. Ivkovic noted that members often use codes like “teen trade” or “-18” to search for child pornography.
“Male family members, mostly sons, take pictures of their mothers and sisters and then send them to these groups for rating, sharing, and various other purposes,” she said. Upskirting pictures and other intrusive photos are also prevalent. “Women are literally not safe anywhere,” Ivkovic said.
In a similar case, a video of rape was shared in one group, with the victim discovering its circulation only after it had spread across multiple chats. The video was later removed from a pornographic website.
These revelations come up following the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France last month. Durov faces charges for failing to tackle extremist and illegal content on the platform.
Serbia’s Commissioner for Protection of Equality has connected the rise of such groups to “deep-rooted, traditional, patriarchal stereotypes about gender roles in families and communities, where women are seen as the property of men.”
Despite the growth of illicit groups, Serbian authorities have only managed to shut down 13 such groups, according to local reports.
Activists like Ivkovic argue that government inaction only worsens the problem. Serbia lacks specific laws addressing the sharing of unauthorised recordings and pornographic content, including revenge porn.
Belgrade‘s Autonomous Women’s Centre (AZC) has called for tougher laws and has gathered tens of thousands of signatures for a petition. AZC’s Vanja Macanovic warns that the impact on victims can be traumatising. “These videos and photos remain online forever, and the victims live in fear that someone will see them again, potentially restarting the cycle of violence,” Macanovic said.
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