This document summarizes a presentation about revenge pornography in developing countries. It discusses how 1 in 10 ex-partners have threatened to share intimate photos online without consent. Revenge porn victimizes both women and men. While illegal in some places, developing countries often lack strong legal protections and have cultural norms that contribute to the issue. These include gender inequality, victim blaming, and lack of support for victims. The document provides examples of revenge porn victims from Colombia and DR Congo and examines how technology has enhanced the transmission and spread of such content while making culpability more difficult to determine. It concludes that more knowledge is needed to address the cultural and economic factors that enable revenge pornography in developing nations.

1. Revenge Pornography:
Cultural Support in
developing Countries
Presented by:
Pelumi Apantaku (University of Portsmouth)

2. Introduction
• 1 in 10 ex-partners have threatened to expose naked photos of their ex online
and 60 percent of them carry out the threat (McAfee, 2013).
• Revenge Porn Victim can be men (John Schindler and Adam Kuhn) or women
(Jenifer Lawrence).
• It is a crime in the Philippines, Australia, Israel, England, Wales, New Zealand
and more countries
• Millions of women and girls around the world are subjected to deliberate
violence because of their gender (UN, 2015).
• Revenge porn has been a major Violence against women and girls (VAWG).
• Developing countries are countries where majority of people earn less income
and have less access to basic public services than those living in industrialised
countries (Kinnear, 2011).

3. Understanding Revenge Pornography
• Sharing of private, sexual materials, either photos or videos, of
another person without their consent and with the purpose of
causing embarrassment or distress. (Ministry of Justice, 2015)
• The disclosure of sexually explicit images without the consent and for
no legitimate purpose but causes immediate, devastating and
irreversible harm (Franks, 2015)
• The posting of nude or sexually explicit photographs or videos of
people online without their consent, even if the photograph itself
was taken with the consent (Osterday, 2016)

4. Developing country Characteristics
• Agrarian based economy
• Religious Oriented
• Gender Inequalities
• Women Poverty
• Weak Human Right Protection
(Asare, 2013; Kinnear, 2011;
Staudt and Jaquette, 2002)
Bluett-Boyd notes that “there is a gendered expectation for girls
to provide nude images that draws on already existing social
norms and scripts about heterosexuality, male entitlement and
female attractiveness” (UN, 2015).

5. Cultural Contribution
• Prevalent Stigmatisation
• Weak Prosecution
• Ignorance
• Victims are blamed
• Lack of Support
(Arimoro, 2015; Halder and
Jaishankar, 2013; UN, 2015)
•
●Victim ●Case details and type of Violence●Country ●Age of Victim
●Marta ●Victim of technology-based violence as
revenge for her decision to end her
marriage. Her US based ex-husband used
fake Facebook and Twitter accounts.
●Columbia ●32
●Blandine ●Victim of child pornography – naked
pictures were posted on a friend’s website
leading to humiliation and ostracization in
her village.
●DR Congo ●15
UN (2015)

6. Technology and Revenge Pornography
• Enhanced transmission opportunity (Kamaku & Mberia, 2014)
• Expanded the format of the content
• Content transmission cannot be controlled
• Blurs the line between consensual and Non-consensual
• Culpability becomes more difficult
• Raised concern level
• Technology service providers are protected (Goldberg, 2012)

7. Conclusion
• Technology has enhanced revenge porn
• Every internet user is a potential victim
• VAWG is rampant in developing countries
• Patriarchy economy has thrived
• Culture has played active role
• In-depth knowledge is needed to introduce change
•
•

8. Thank You