Global Networks Exposed: How Sadists Prey on Minors on the Internet

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Sexual violence is one of the biggest threats to children online. Unlike in the offline world, it is not always clear who is behind a profile with chat portals or social networks.

So-called ‘cybergrooming’, as the targeted manipulation of minors via the Internet is called, originates from initially innocent acquaintances. After trust is built, a spiral of violence, dependency and fear gradually develops. A typical pattern: the anonymous men demand nude photos of their victims.

In recent years, there have been more and more sadists on the Internet who force minors to take nude photos and harm themselves. New research by ‘Spiegel’, the ‘Washington Post’ and the Romanian medium ‘Recorder’ shows: sadists operate in a global network and organize themselves in more than 50 specific chat groups on Discord and Telegram.

“I mutilate myself and they appreciate that.”

The sadistic scene simply calls itself “Communitiy (COM)”. The sadists demand that their victims injure themselves and send them photos of the wounds. The goal: your own sense of power and the humiliation of minors. The photos of self-harm and abuse are then shared among the sadists. Even photos and videos of murders can be found in the chat groups of the COM scene.

A victim (18) tells Spiegel how she fell into the clutches of these groups. When she was about 15, Sophia* joined a virtual chat room on the Discord platform. At the time, the young woman was in very poor mental health. Men in the chat room increasingly demanded that she share photos of self-harm. In return, the young woman received affirmation and praise. It was a kind of agreement: ‘I mutilate myself and they honor it.’

“Live shows” are also performed

The first compliments give cyber grooming perpetrators more and more control over their victims. “They are masters of manipulation,” German psychologist Julia von Weiler explains in a “Zeit” podcast.

Users organize so-called “live shows”. They can participate together in a video call where a girl performs a specific task in front of the camera.

Focus on young people with psychological problems

The FBI of the American federal police has been warning about the network since last year. Many members strive to drive their victims to suicide. Perpetrators specifically target teenagers with psychological problems.

If the young people no longer follow the guidelines, they are threatened and insulted. Sophia had to experience that too. The perpetrators threatened to harm her mother. The young woman was desperate and even tried to commit suicide. With the help of therapy, she managed to free herself from the clutches of the group.

Breaking up “one of the biggest priorities”

At the request of “Spiegel”, the German Federal Criminal Police Office wrote about the international investigation into “COM” that it was in contact with the state authorities, Interpol and Europol. At Spiegel’s request, Europol declined to comment on the ongoing investigation. Interpol left an investigation open for the medium.

The chat platform Discord, where sadists search for their victims, said dismantling the networks was “one of the security team’s biggest priorities”. Telegram told “Spiegel” that “child abuse and incitement to violence” were explicitly prohibited on their site. Thousands of pieces of content are removed every day. (An)

*Name changed

Source: Blick