Thousands of men are participating in chat groups in which they share suggestions on how to rape and sexually assault women, a German investigation has revealed.
The groups, on the instant messaging service Telegram, have as many as 70, members who mostly communicate with one another in English and appear to come from a variety of countries. Users claimed to have assaulted women in their household, including wives, partners, sisters and mothers, and also shared instructions with others on how to do the same.
Some in the chat groups also shared pictures, while others posted live video of the assaults. In one instance, a German man said he would sedate his wife and offered her to other users.
The allegations came as a court in Avignon, France, sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison for sedating his wife Gisele and offering her online to other men to rape and assault.
He would also rape and assault her himself. The attacks took place over several years, with 50 other men in the case found guilty on Thursday. The trial has raised questions about the extent to which anonymous internet chat groups facilitate such crimes. Ms Pelicot has been praised for insisting that the case took place in public in order to raise awareness about the issue. This included posting links to online shops where sexual abusers could buy sedatives disguised as hair products.
