“Revenge porn” is on the rise in Serbia. Also known as image-based sexual abuse, “revenge porn” refers to the sharing of private photos and films of an explicitly sexual nature via a messaging app or on social media platforms without the consent of the person. no one in the images.

This also includes the sharing of deepfakes, content generated using artificial intelligence that depicts real people engaged in sexual acts that never actually took place.

A recent three-month investigation into groups on instant messaging service Telegram in Serbia showed that tens of thousands of users share images of incest, child pornography and revenge porn every day.

The results of the study were published this summer by the association OsnaZenaa portmanteau of the Serbian words “woman” and “empowerment”.

Who are the authors?

Abusers are often ex-partners who share images and films from past relationships. However, these pornographic contents can also be obtained by hacking computers, phones or social media accounts.

The goal is to harm victims in their real lives.

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality90% of victims are women and girls.

But the illegal sharing and selling of revenge porn is more than just an invasion of privacy. This form of cyberbullying damages the reputation and dignity of victims and can have considerable consequences on their mental and physical health.

Victim blaming is widespread in Serbia

“Nevertheless, most people in Serbian society blame the victims for appearing in pornographic photos and videos,” OsnaZena’s Nikolina Tomasevic told DW.

“For many people, only girls who go to church covered from head to toe deserve sympathy,” she says. “If, on the other hand, they wear short skirts, many feel that they incite perpetrators to commit such atrocities. In other words, they deserve to be victims.”

“The very term revenge porn implies that the woman in question has done something for which the attacker is now taking revenge,” explains Sanja Pavlovic from the association. Autonomous Women’s Center (AZC) in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. “In other words, she is at least partly responsible for what happened.”

Petition calling for action

In early 2024, AZC members launched a petition titled “Swear to the Law” and called on relevant authorities to make revenge porn a crime, as is the case in neighboring Croatia and Montenegro.

In less than a month, the center has collected more than 20,000 signatures, showing that at least part of Serbian society recognizes that there is a problem and is calling for political measures.

“Most of the signatories were young girls, high school students, university and college students, members of a new generation that does not just want to suffer in silence,” Pavlovic explains.

“But we have also received support from women who have themselves been victims of this type of violence and from young parents – especially those with daughters – who see what the world their children are growing up in is like and want support. change.”

Women perceived as beings devoid of their own sexuality

Pavlovic says many other Serbs – men and women – continue to blame women and girls who are victims of revenge porn and other forms of cyberbullying.

“We often hear this kind of thing from men, who still believe that a woman is not a being with her own sexuality but that she must be available to meet the needs of men.”

OsnaZena members sent the results of their research to the cybercrime prosecutor several months ago. To date, no action has been taken.

“Institutions are slow, rooted in prejudice, and made up of people who are themselves part of a society that lives according to patriarchal models,” says Tomasevic.

She fears that the lack of response from Serbian authorities could mean that “such behavior is starting to become normalized.”

A new discourse on sexuality is necessary

Sanja Pavlovic calls for a change from passive, sometimes even tolerant, attitude towards revenge porn and cyberbullying in Serbia.

She is convinced that Serbia needs state measures such as a ban on revenge porn that is effectively enforced: “It makes no sense to have a law that is not enforced,” she says, adding that it is appalling that women who report revenge porn are met with ridicule, insults and disbelief.

“Serbian society needs a change in the discourse on sexuality and terms such as consent, desire, gender roles and other stereotypes,” says Pavlovic.

She goes on to argue that these topics need to be addressed within the education system in a contemporary and age-appropriate way. “I think this is the only thing that can lead to a new generation that is more aware of and more respectful of women.”

This article was originally published in Serbian.