Created in 2019, the Facebook group “Mia Moglie” (“my wife”, in Italian) brought together more than 32,000 members, mainly men, sharing intimate or suggestive photos of women. These shots were, for the most part, broadcast without the consent of the interested parties.
Wives, companions, colleagues or perfect unknowns, women appeared in underwear, swimsuit, supermarket or even by car, often photographed without their knowledge. Sometimes the faces were blurred, other times not. The group was public, making its content accessible to everyone.
A feminist activist gives the alert
The case broke out when an Italian writer and militant Carolina Capria relayed on Instagram the existence of this group last Tuesday, after being alerted by Internet users. She speaks of “often unconscious women to be photographed to become the prey of virtual rape” and confides having felt “fear and nausea” when reading messages and comments exchanged.
The NGO “No Justice No Peace” has also helped to mediate the scandal, triggering a wave of reports and indignation through Italy.
Meta reacts and removes the group
Faced with the scale of the scandal, Meta quickly removed the group. “We have deleted the Facebook group for violating our policy against the sexual exploitation of adults,” said a company spokesperson. “We prohibit any content threatening or encouraging sexual violence, sexual abuses or sexual exploitation on our platforms,” he added.
A group of closed, others open
Despite the closure of “Mia Moglie”, other similar groups, this time private and subject to selection, have emerged, especially on Telegram, considered by its users as a “more protected” space.
Contacted by franceinfo, the Telegram platform says that “the sharing of explicit content not granted is strictly prohibited” and ensures “to withdraw millions of harmful content every day”.
Women testify, justice is mobilizing
Since the revelation of the case, several victims have discovered their presence in the group. One of them said on the Facebook page “Alpha Mom”: “Today I discovered that I am in the group ‘Mia Moglie’. Not knowing absolutely nothing about this. He justified himself saying it’s just a game … We have two sons and 10 years of wedding behind us. Our photos, deprived of moments of everyday life … I feel broken in half. »»
Italian police, overwhelmed with reports, opened investigations. In the Corriere del Veneto, the deputy director of the municipal police, Barbara Strappato, explains: “Some women have identified and filed a complaint, but many others still ignore having joined this sordid group. The offenses range from defamation to the dissemination of intimate equipment without consent […] What happened is very serious. Even I had trouble reading all these comments. »»
