New forms of sexual violence against LGBT community in Bolivia – IdPH survey

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The need to conduct a survey arose from testimonies of members of the LGBT community, victims of digital sexual violence and the observation that these attacks had devastating effects on some people, such as depression and suicide, by publicly violating their privacy and dignity before others on social networks.

To conduct the survey, IpDH worked with leaders of the Bolivian transfeminist movement and the DSG collective in Cochabamba to collaborate in the questionnaire. After distribution, 108 responses were recorded across the country, with young people between the ages of 18 and 29 and gay respondents comprising the majority of participants.

The survey’s results show that 25% of respondents have been threatened and blackmailed to publish their photos or videos with sexual content, real or manipulated. Some 13% of respondents said that attackers went so far as to post their intimate photos or videos on social networks without permission.

This crime is called sextortion. Most of the affected reacted with fear, anger and shame. But only half reported it to the police; a quarter did nothing and the remainder sought support from friends.

Almost half said they had been offered money, gifts or favors in exchange for sending sexual photos or videos. This practice is called sexting, which is not punishable by law because there is mutual consent, and is widespread in the general population and particularly among the LGBT community.

Over half of respondents claim that other people have used their photos to create fake profiles on social networks such as Facebook and WhatsApp or on dating apps such as Grindr, Tinder and others commonly used by the LGBT population.

Some 33% of respondents claim that their sexual identity or orientation has been disclosed on social networks without their consent (cyberbullying or sextortion). Over half are unaware of digital safety rules and do not know where to report a case of online sexual violence.

These results are useful for authorities to understand these new forms of sexual violence, to be informed and to be able to take immediate action. It is noteworthy that there are human rights loopholes in the digital sphere that demand urgent attention, as the digitization of social relations has accelerated due to the exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.