Minister, advocate weigh in on viral ‘revenge porn’

The release of numerous pornographic images and videos on social media over the weekend has plunged at least one woman into depression, while raising the ire of a well-known women’s rights activist and a Government Minister.

On Sunday, social media was abuzz when the images of at least seven Barbadian women were exposed posing naked and engaging in sexual acts. While the identities of the males involved were mostly hidden, some of the women, ranging from their early 20s to mid-30s could be identified.

The leaks were followed by an extended discussion, which included taunting and shaming of the exposed women. While some people condemned those responsible for broadcasting ‘nudes’ which were received in confidence, others suggested that people who consent to the taking of these images should be content to live with the consequences.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), acting Inspector Rodney Inniss told Barbados TODAY he was unaware of the incident but indicated that such matters would only be investigated if an alleged victim makes a formal report.

One of the young women, who requested anonymity, told Barbados TODAY she has already sought legal counsel and filed a police complaint claiming that her x-rated photos were initially shared with a trusted male partner. The relationship subsequently ended, but the alleged victim was stunned when the videos surfaced.

“I told him I didn’t want to speak with him anymore and it seemed as though he was okay with it. I explained why I didn’t want to be speaking with him and when it ended, it was not on a bad note. On the day the photos were released, he denied that he was responsible… and said that I shouldn’t blame him if people are talking about me,” she said while adding that videos of her were released some time ago, but only made social media over the weekend.

“It is not a good feeling to have a whole set of people messaging you to tell you that they have seen this video of you doing something. Then you go on social media, and people are just sharing the video. For something that was personal in the first place to be out there, especially in a place like Barbados is difficult. I haven’t cried or anything, but I will take the situation and somehow try to make something positive of it,” the young woman added.

Investigations revealed that the most recent images were shared in a group chat of mostly male vehicle fanatics, but Barbados TODAY understands the broadcast is much wider.

The alleged victim disclosed that while she was doing her best to stay strong amid the scandal, another alleged victim has descended into depression.

“One of the girls was crying really badly…and sometimes when you go on social media attempting to defend yourself, it gets worse and I think that happened to her, and she felt really bad. It seems like she is now in a depressed state,” the source added.

“The one thing that bothers me is how far this situation got and the fact that people took it upon themselves to send it to my family. Although they been very supportive throughout the situation… it got really far. These things get much further than you would think and at the time I didn’t see

As the troubling discussion unfolded on Twitter, Minister of the Creative Economy, Culture, and Sports, John King made a passionate plea for social media users to share positive messages instead of “all of this vulgarity” which is “causing distress and havoc in the lives of others”.

“There is nothing exciting or interesting about causing others pain, embarrassment, or anguish. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” he urged in a subsequent tweet before warning that Barbadians guilty of using the internet to cause harm could be prosecuted. When contacted on Monday morning, the Minister said he could not comment on the incident.

Section 14 of the Computer Misuse Act places a penalty of $10,000 or imprisonment for 12 months where a person uses a computer to send a message, letter, electronic communication or article of any description that is “indecent or obscene” and intended to cause or is reckless as to whether he causes annoyance, inconvenience, distress or anxiety to the recipient or to any other person to whom he intends it or its contents to be communicated.

President of the National Organisation of Women (NOW) Marsha Hinds identified revenge porn as one of the fastest-growing methods of inflicting pain on former partners and urged victims to make better use of the provisions of the act.

While acknowledging that women ought to be more mindful of their online activities, she cautioned against “victim-blaming”.

“We need to educate our young girls and women of the dangers of taking various types of videos and sending them to male partners. These are taken as a type of collateral which can be held over the heads of these young women once they end up being leaked on internet platforms,” said Hinds, who added that in addition to physical abuse, such issues are part of a growing form of emotional abuse.

Marsha Hinds-Layne

“The leaking of these types of things cause anxiety, fear, judgment, etcetera and perhaps we need to streamline the law on emotional abuse in the [Domestic Violence] Protection Orders Act, which the Computer Misuse Act does not address,” said Hinds.

The women affected by this latest incident are meanwhile dreading the videos making their way from social media onto mainstream pornography sites.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb