'Revenge porn' in Serbia: crime without punishment

"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 by messenger app or on social media platforms without the consent of the person in the images.

It also includes the sharing of deepfakes, content generated using artificial intelligence that depicts real people involved in sexual acts that never actually 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.

Nikolina Tomasevic of the women's association OsnaZena says that most people in Serbia blame the victims for the fact that they appear in revenge porn imagesImage: OsnaŽena

The study's findings were published this summer by the association OsnaZena, a portmanteau of the Serbian words "woman" and "empowerment."

Who are the perpetrators?

The perpetrators 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 their real lives.

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' reputation 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," OsnaZena's Nikolina Tomasevic told DW.

"For many people, only girls who go to church covered from top to toe deserve sympathy," she says. "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," explains 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 calling 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.

Sanja Pavlovic of the Autonomous Women's Center in Belgrade is calling for a change in attitudes to revenge porn and cyberbullying in SerbiaImage: Autonomni zenski centar

"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," says 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 says that 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 OsnaZena 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," explains 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

Sanja Pavlovic is calling for a change in the passive — at times even accepting — 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 actually enforced: "It is senseless to have a law that is not applied," she says, adding that it is appalling that women who report revenge porn meet 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," says Pavlovic.

She goes on to say that these subjects must be addressed within the education system in a contemporary, age-appropriate manner. "I think that's the only thing that can lead to a new generation that is more aware of women and respects them more."

This article was originally published in Serbian.