'Revenge porn' in Serbia: Crime without penalty

"Revenge porn" is on the rise in Serbia. Also known as image-based sexual abuse, "revenge porn" is the sharing of private photos and films of an explicitly sexual nature via messenger apps or on social media platforms without the consent of the people in the images.

The genre also includes the sharing of deepfakes, or content generated using artificial intelligence that depicts real people involved in sexual acts that never took place.

A recent three-month investigation into groups on the 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 study's findings were published this summer by the association OsnaZene, a portmanteau of the Serbian words "woman" and "empowerment."

Who are the perpetrators?

Those responsible are often ex-partners who share images and films from past relationships. However, such pornographic content can also be obtained by hacking computers, telephones or social media accounts.

The objective is to damage victims in real life.

According to the European Institute for Gender Equality, 90% of victims are women and girls.

But the illegal sharing and sale of revenge porn is much more than just an infringement of privacy. This form of cyberbullying damages victims' reputations and dignity and can have far-reaching consequences for their mental and physical health.

Victim-blaming widespread in Serbia

"Nevertheless, most people in Serbian society blame the victims for the fact that they appear in pornographic photos and videos," Nikolina Tomasevic of OsnaZene told DW.

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

"The very term 'revenge porn' implies that the woman in question must have done something for which the perpetrator is now exacting revenge," explained Sanja Pavlovic of the Autonomous Women's Center (AZC) in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. "In other words, she is at least partly responsible for what happened."

Petition calls for action

In early 2024, members of the AZC launched a petition entitled "Swear on the Law" and called on the relevant authorities to make revenge porn a crime, as it is in neighboring Croatia and Montenegro.

In less than a month, the center collected over 20,000 signatures, which shows that at least part of Serbian society recognizes that there is a problem and is calling for action to be taken at political level.

"Most of the signatories were young girls, high school students, university and college students — members of a new generation that don't just want to suffer in silence," said Pavlovic.

"But we also had support from women who have experienced this kind of violence themselves and from young parents — particularly those with daughters — who see what the world their children are growing up in is like and want change."

Women seen as beings without their own sexuality

Pavlovic said many other Serbs — both men and women — continue to lay the blame on the 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 should be available to meet men's needs."

The members of OsnaZene forwarded their research findings to the public prosecutor responsible for cybercrime several months ago. To date, no action has been taken.

"The institutions are sluggish, rooted in prejudice and consist of people who are themselves part of a society that lives in patriarchal patterns," said Tomasevic.

She is concerned that the lack of response from the Serbian authorities could mean that "such behavior is starting to be normalized."

New discourse about sexuality needed

Pavlovic called for a change in the passive — at times even accepting — attitude towards revenge porn and cyberbullying in Serbia.

She's convinced that Serbia needs state measures such as a ban on revenge porn that is actually enforced. "It is senseless to have a law that is not applied," she said, adding that it's appalling that women who report revenge porn are met with ridicule, insults and disbelief.

"Serbian society needs a change in the discourse about sexuality and terms such as consent, desire, gender roles and other stereotypes," she said.

Pavlovic added that  these subjects must be addressed within the education system in a contemporary, age-appropriate manner. "That's the only thing that can lead to a new generation that is more aware of women and respects them more," she said.

This article was originally written in Serbian.

Correction, November 3, 2024: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of OsnaZene. DW apologizes for the error.