Trigger warning: this articled discusses sexual coercion, abuse, and suicidality, and the content may be very triggering.
The problem of blackmail is so typical, and, frankly speaking, this normalcy is disappointing. The problem with blackmail is that it should not be typical – quite the contrary, actually. The blackmail I am speaking of is the blackmail that women – majority of the time – get subjected to, through the use of their photos or other means to coerce them into doing acts against their will, whether sexual or otherwise; this is known as sextortion. The blackmailer could either be a boyfriend or a stranger that got a hold of photos through social media. To make things clearer, sexual blackmail is a form of sexual harassment and exploitation, and the fact that most of it occurs online is even scarier due to the lack of laws regarding social media and the blatant freedom harassers find working in their favor. Placing things in the context of the Middle East, societal norms are very inhibiting to many ladies, and this makes it harder to speak of the blackmail they may be facing by, say, a boyfriend, because chances are that they will be blamed.
Scenario of Blackmail
There are many scenarios of blackmail that occur under different contexts. A predominant example includes a man and woman being in a relationship. The woman probably would have refused much sexual intimacy (for example), and this probably would be an issue for the man. His frustration, power, and irritation at the situation lead him to take some photos off the girl’s profile, photoshop them, and blackmail her with them. In other cases, the woman would have sent them to him, mistaking his emotions for real ones, and believing that this relationship is long term. In both cases, the woman gets blamed for having sent them. Oftentimes, she is even told that she “deserves” it, which is another problem in itself.
In other cases, the man could blackmail the woman into sending him photos, or else he will tell her parents of their relationship, or what she does during the day, or even of the type of friends she has (all of which may be unacceptable to the parents). This makes the woman frightened and lonely, thinking everyone is against her. Many women are not lucky enough to contain a support system when it comes to such situations, because they could really threaten her life in cases where her parents may not tolerate such behavior, and going to an even more extreme situation, where they may possibly kill her in the name of honor. In cases where she does not get killed, she will have “embarrassed” her parents, and ruined their reputation – according to societal standards.
A third possible scenario is that of revenge porn. This notion is basically the idea that the perpetrators tend to use the photos sent to them against the victims due to an issue they face with them such as cheating, or other problems. They end up spreading the photos virally, and the term for this is “revenge porn”. Here, we can clearly see a power imbalance and the audacity exhibited by many men that blackmail.
Double Standards
What is even more pressing is the double standards. Nobody pays much attention to the harasser who asks for indecent photos to satisfy his sexual desires. However, once a woman presses the send button, everything that happens to her is accounted for. One misjudgment could change her entire life. The point here is not to discuss whether what the woman did is right or wrong, but rather to bring to light that, most of the time, she is blamed, when clearly there is a second, more threatening and scary party in all this. The threatening party could threaten to harm her or even worse, and not much attention is paid to his blatant crime, and invasion of privacy.
Mental health Effects on the Victim
Mental health issues are likely to arise when being a victim of blackmail and scary threats. Even bluffing and telling the perpetrator that he can do whatever he wants will not erase the mounting anxiety and even trauma that comes with being blackmailed. Spreading an incriminating photo can lead the victim to be demeaned. This could result to self harm and even suicidal thoughts, depression, and anxiety, in addition to generalized trauma. Shame, humiliation, and stress are other factors.
Blackmail – or sextortion – is a very problematic situation that leads to horrifying results. In the Middle East especially, it is exceptionally harder to seek help and guidance due to it being a taboo situation to speak of, and the woman being shamed for sending an indecent photo (in the cases where she does). The mental effects take a toll on the victims as well. Feeling like they do not have anyone to turn to and the constant shame and humiliation that comes with this issue is emotionally damaging.