German investigators have uncovered Telegram chat groups numbering 70,000 members worldwide in which individuals share explicit advice on sedating and sexually assaulting women.
These groups, primarily communicating in English, include participants from various countries who exchange detailed methods to incapacitate and abuse women, frequently targeting those within their own households, such as wives, partners, sisters, and mothers.
The shocking revelations will trigger further debate about undocumented sexual abuse coming as they do in the way of the conviction of Dominique Pelicot in France for drugging his wife Gisele and inviting scores of men to rape her.
Members of such groups are even understood to have shared images and live videos of assaults, with some boasting about their actions, according to French website 20 Minutes.
Horrifyingly, they even supply links to online shops selling sedatives disguised as everyday products, facilitating the procurement of substances intended.
Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping his wife, Gisèle, over several years in the French village of Mazan.
Pelicot also encouraged other men, whom he met online, to abuse his unconscious wife, leading to the conviction of 50 additional defendants.
The case has highlighted the role of online platforms in facilitating sexual violence. Pelicot used websites to recruit accomplices, exploiting the anonymity and reach of the internet to perpetrate his crimes.
Similarly, the Telegram groups operate in the shadows of encrypted messaging services, making detection and intervention by authorities challenging.
Telegram, founded by Russian tech billionaire Pavel Durov in 2013, has been criticised for refusing to share user data with government agencies, earning it a reputation for being a haven for illicit activities.
While the company insists it has a zero-tolerance policy towards misuse and states that it blocks offending users, the persistence and size of such groups suggest otherwise.
The existence of such groups underlines the pervasive nature of online communities that promote and facilitate sexual violence.
The anonymity which platforms like Telegram provide emboldens individuals to share and act upon their predatory inclinations without fear of immediate repercussions, critics argue.
The Pelicot trial has been a watershed moment in France, bringing to light the extent of sexual violence facilitated by online interactions.
Ms Pelicot's decision to waive her anonymity and make the trial public has been lauded as a courageous move to raise awareness and prompt societal change.
Her case has ignited discussions about consent and the legal definitions of rape, emphasizing the need for laws to evolve in response to the complexities introduced by digital platforms.
In response to these revelations, there is a growing call for stricter regulations and oversight of online platforms that enable such behaviour.
Advocates argue for enhanced cooperation between tech companies and law enforcement to identify and dismantle networks that promote sexual violence.
The court found Pelicot guilty of rape and all other charges against him and sentenced him to 20 years in prison, the maximum possible. At age 72, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
He will be eligible to request early release until he’s served at least two-thirds of the sentence.
Lawyer Beatrice Zavarro yesterday confirmed he will not appeal, saying: “He believes that the judicial page should be turned and that this chapter should be considered closed."
