Spanish police began an investigation after images of girls, altered with artificial intelligence so that they appeared naked, were sent by a city in the south of the country.
A group of mothers from Almendralejo, in the Extremadura region, reported that their daughters had received images of them in which they appeared naked.
One of the mothers, Miriam Al Adib, used a video posted on her verified Instagram account to raise awareness about the situation.
She tells how one of her daughters said someone had used an app to make an image of her in which she appeared naked. She has since discovered the same thing had happened to dozens of other girls.
Addressing those responsible, Al Adib said: “You have no idea the damage you have caused.”
Francisco Mendoza, a regional government official, told local public media outlet Canal Extremadura that police had identified some of the young people who could be involved in producing the images.
On Wednesday (20), a spokeswoman for the Supreme Court of Justice of Extremadura told CNN that a police investigation is underway. Spanish national police did not respond to requests for comment.
Al Adib called on those responsible to cooperate in resolving the issue and said there were concerns that the images could be made available on pornographic websites.
“Using photos of other people for this type of atrocity and sending them is a very serious crime,” she wrote in the caption.
On Monday (18), Pilar Porrón, mother of another of the girls, told Canal Extremadura that her daughter found out from one of her friends that she had appeared naked in a photo.
Fátima Gomez, another mother, told the channel that a boy tried to extort her daughter using a doctored image.
She said her daughter showed her a conversation with the boy in which he asked her to send him money, and when the daughter refused, the boy sent her a manipulated nude image of her.
According to the vehicle, the images were taken using an application that uses artificial intelligence to produce images of people without clothes.
The mayor of Almendralejo, José María Ramírez, said the incident “is yet another case of gender-based violence.”
María Guardiola, head of the regional government of Extremadura, condemned the “disgusting incident” in a Publication on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Digital violence against women is a scourge that is increasing,” Guardiola wrote.
The incident comes as Spain faces a reckoning over sexual assault and gender-based violence after Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation, was accused of kissing Women’s World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso without consent .
Rubiales resigned from his position on September 10 after weeks of fierce criticism. He denies the allegations against him.
The kiss in Hermoso came after the Spanish team’s victory in the Women’s World Cup final on August 20, and sparked condemnation in Spain and around the world.
The 46-year-old has since apologized and described the kiss as “mutual” — a claim Hermoso denied, saying he did not consent and was not respected.
There was also more uproar on September 14, when police arrested a man suspected of sexual assault after he appeared to touch a TV journalist’s butt while she was reporting live on the streets of Madrid.
Video: International operation against child sexual exploitation arrests 14 in SP
Source: CNN Brasil
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