Secret recordings of women in Kenya and Ghana have led to widespread online harassment, prompting calls for action from officials.
In Kenya and Ghana, women have been secretly filmed during public interactions without their knowledge, leading to the videos being shared online and causing significant distress.
Joy Kalekye, a 19-year-old student in Nairobi, recounted being approached by a man on the street in March of the previous year. She only learned of the recording when a friend alerted her to a viral video showing the encounter.
Global Trend of Non-Consensual Filming
These incidents are part of a broader pattern where men use hidden cameras to record interactions with women, often posting the content on social media for views and profit. In the videos, the man touches women's hair, holds their hands, and asks for contact information.
After the videos went viral, women faced online blame and abuse, with comments reinforcing harmful stereotypes. Brenda Yambo of FIDA-Kenya noted that this scrutiny focuses on the victims' behavior rather than the illegal recordings.
Kelvin Karume, a 22-year-old content creator in Nairobi, admitted to downloading and uploading some of these videos to his TikTok page, gaining millions of views. He removed videos of Kalekye and another woman after they complained, acknowledging the harm caused.
Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations warned that resharing such videos could lead to prosecution for secondary victimisation. In Ghana, authorities identified 36-year-old Vladislav Liulkov as the suspect and are working to extradite him on charges related to non-consensual recording and monetisation.
Geolocation data from the videos pinpointed locations like Nairobi's Sarit Centre and Mombasa's Nyali Mall. The man's voice and appearance in the clips suggest a consistent individual, though his exact identity remains under investigation.
