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Wounded Again in Pursuit of Redress: Survivor Narratives of Image-Based Sexual Abuse in China

Yadi Wang (2026) — Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 10(6), CSCW193

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DOI: 10.1145/3817041 (opens in a new tab)

Country:   China
Tags:   China, Identity Misuse, Image Based Sexual Abuse, Online Redress, Pig Butchering Scams, Platform Moderation, Romance Scams, Survivor Narratives
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Synopsis

            
This publication investigates how image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) affects survivors in China, focusing on their lived experiences and pathways to seeking redress. The study treats IBSA as a sociotechnical problem shaped by China’s regulatory environment, platform moderation, and cultural norms, and it aims to understand what survivors perceive as abusive, how they respond, and how they resist re-victimization in pursuit of accountability and support. Using a qualitative approach, the author analyzes 86 first-person survivor narratives posted on Chinese social media between 2021 and 2025. Narratives were collected through a multi-step process involving keyword searches, cross-referencing with news reports, and triangulation of reposts to reconstruct original accounts. Structural narrative analysis and thematic analysis were applied to identify patterns. The findings reveal three forms of IBSA: repurposing ordinary images in explicit contexts, romance fraud that weaponizes survivors’ photos to create deceptive profiles, and the use of survivors’ images in public commentary to anchor misogynistic framing. The study also documents substantial barriers to redress, including unresponsive law enforcement, opaque platform moderation, and social stigma that silences victims, as well as the additional complications created by China’s digital and legal infrastructure, which can push survivors toward illicit platforms to gather evidence. Despite these challenges, survivors employ grassroots strategies—such as leveraging platform features, mobilizing informal networks, and publicly sharing their stories—to counter abuse and seek accountability. The author concludes with calls for survivor-centered care infrastructures across legal, platform, and community levels to better support IBSA interventions and reduce ongoing harm.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
Research on IBSA is concentrated in Western settings, with less known about survivor experiences in China. The paper also identifies limited attention to people whose images are used in romance fraud, as prior work largely centers on deceived fraud victims. The authors note that the broader commercial economy using non-explicit images as attention bait on illicit platforms warrants further research.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
The study qualitatively analyzed 86 first-person IBSA survivor narratives publicly posted on Chinese social media between May 2021 and February 2025. Narratives were located through Google keyword searches, iterative case-based snowballing, and searches on Chinese platforms, primarily RedNote. The author applied structural narrative analysis and inductive thematic analysis, iteratively developing and revising a codebook with external qualitative-researcher feedback.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
The publicly available narrative dataset may not represent the full scope of IBSA in China because search and censorship algorithms may have hidden narratives, particularly explicit cases. The study could not trace long-term redress outcomes where updates were absent and did not collect engagement metrics. It reflects only people able and willing to speak publicly online, excluding many silent survivors, including those experiencing intimate-image abuse, sextortion, threats, or coercion.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Future research should use anonymous surveys, interviews, and partnerships with advocacy organizations to develop a deeper understanding of Chinese IBSA survivors’ experiences. These approaches should better reach people who do not speak publicly online, including survivors of explicit intimate-image abuse, sextortion, and ongoing threats or coercion.

          

              

    
    

        
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