Within days of writing a blog about image based sexual abuser, Fabricio Da Silva Claudino, who pleaded guilty (in a Sydney courthouse) to uploading, and furthermore, promoting a non-consensual recording of sex with his ex-partner, I’m dismayed to find that this self-centred individual has retracted his former admission of guilt.
This means that Da Silva Claudino is currently out of jail, on bail, after spending less than 2 months behind bars for the premeditated, and planned, image abuse attack on the man that he supposedly loved and cared for. For reasons of anonymity and protection, which incidentally is precisely how an Image Abuse law should work, his ex-partner cannot be named for legal reasons.
Da Silva Claudino’s release, and retraction of guilt, now means that his ex-partner is facing the painful ordeal of once again giving evidence in the case. The non-consensual recording was ‘sold’ on the website ‘OnlyFans’, allegedly for $12 (AUS) and 99 cents to anyone who wanted to view it.
For any victim of Image Abuse, the words that the victim uses, to describe his own ordeal, will sound painfully familiar.
He said he became a 'grown man afraid of the outside world' and a 'shell' of his former self as a result of his humiliating ordeal, and ‘feared strangers would recognise him on the street’.
This truly rings so many bells of familiarity, I must have spent 2 weeks (possibly even more) trapped in my bedroom flat unable to physically move from it. The levels of fear and anxiety just proved too much to bear. But the familiarity doesn’t stop there, the victim also describes that ‘Tattoos etched on his body, that he was once proud of, now feel like a filthy stain on his body'.
Whilst the non-consensual recording did not feature the victims face, the rest of his body was obviously in clear view including a number of tattoos, that could easily identify the victim. A tattoo marking played a part in my own experience, and whilst not particularly large, at one stage in my life I just wanted removed. As the years have progressed, my level of concern about it have become considerably less….to the point where I have even considered having it re inked.
Irrespective of whether a victim’s face is in view or not, and irrespective of whether they have any identifiable markings, a victim (just like anyone else) is cognitively aware of what their own body looks like. A victim will ALWAYS be able to identify themselves in a sexual recording, and as such it will be a continuous hurtful replay of their technological rape. I see little point in using language that belittles or censors the physical and mental impact that these crimes have.
It’s abhorrent that Da Silva Claudino has even made bail. It seems strikingly obvious to me that the evidence in this case speaks for itself. Was the recording consensual? No, it wasn’t. Did the perpetrator make a financial profit from this criminality, yes, he did! Go straight to Jail, and don’t expect to be given a card to get out of it for free!
Questions must also be asked about the safeguarding policy of ‘OnlyFans’, and the same can be said for Pornhub and it’s various looky likey websites. The operators assume that anyone featured in a privately uploaded webcam recording, has given their consent.
Wrong! The opposite must be assumed!
When the vast majority of privately uploaded content is viewed, it’s clearly obvious that the opposite party is not aware of their ‘star attraction’ status within the perpetrators own little private porn fantasy.
I said in my previous post that this case is indicative of many LGBTQ related Image Abuse attacks, and as I follow what is rapidly becoming a legal travesty, it’s sounding more and more like a ‘benchmark case’.
Whilst I don’t know who the victim is, my heart feels for him. I sincerely hope that he will not have to face the ordeal of providing further evidence. This man has been visually raped and should be given the support that he deserves….and the time that he needs to recover.
As for Da Silva Claudino, who seems to only care about his sexual prowess, I can only hope that the Australian legal system will send him back to where he belongs. And that is clearly behind bars. The evidence in this case is both tangible and clear, it is both logged and recorded. His selfish act has cost the victim his career, his self-esteem and his dignity….and it is Da Silva Claudino who must pay the price for this criminality. NOT the victim.
The case should also act as an example of why the LGBTQ community is considered to be the most ‘at risk’ group of IBSA related crimes, and why we need specifically tailored aftercare and support to aid a victim’s recovery.
If you've been a victim of an image abuse attack, and require assistance with image removal, please reach out to the Revenge Porn Helpline. The service is available to anyone who lives in the UK or Europe. After care and LGBTQ victim support is also now available via the team at Survivors UK. This service is for UK based residents only.
Comments