Italy has witnessed a surge of anger following the discovery of a now-removed Facebook group that saw men sharing non-consensual intimate pictures of women, often without their knowledge. The group, known as Mia Moglie (My Wife), boasted around 32,000 members before its prompt removal this week for violating Facebook's Adult Sexual Exploitation policies, as confirmed by Meta, Facebook's parent company.
Screenshots taken before the group's closure revealed disturbing images of women in private moments or states of undress, accompanied by a barrage of explicit comments from male members that included violent and degrading remarks. Notably, author Carolina Capria expressed her horror at the group's content, stating it exposes a deeply ingrained cultural linkage between violence and sexuality.
Fiorella Zabatta, a representative of the European Greens party, remarked on social media that the behavior displayed was akin to "virtual rape," calling for widespread action against such toxic masculinity both in civil society and among political leaders. Revenge porn has been illegal in Italy since 2019. Nonetheless, reports indicate that over a thousand individuals have already filed complaints regarding the group to the cybercrime police.
Meta emphasized its commitment to preventing content that threatens sexual violence, marking the removal of the group as a serious step in combating this pervasive issue. The case has drawn comparisons to the infamous Pelicot case in France, underscoring ongoing societal tensions around issues of consent, control, and oppression within the context of intimate relationships.
