The Fiscalía Regional de La Araucanía (the regional public prosecutor's office) opened an investigation de oficio into the non-consensual sharing of intimate photos and videos of women in anonymous Telegram groups with thousands of users. Investigating "de oficio" means the Ministerio Público (Chile's public prosecution service) acts on its own initiative, without waiting for a formal criminal complaint.
According to BioBioChile, citing 24 Horas, the victims include women from the comunas (municipalities) of Temuco and Padre Las Casas. The possible victims reportedly also include a 16-year-old girl, a fact that, according to the outlet, could affect any eventual criminal liability.
Preliminary information indicates that part of the material was taken from Instagram and Tinder profiles, as well as from private recordings. Members of the groups also requested images of specific women, according to testimonies published by El Periodista.
Both outlets mention accusations against alleged participants in parts of Temuco and Gorbea. These accusations do not amount to a judicial identification and must be verified by investigating agencies. So far, no arrests or formal charges have been reported.
The case gained attention when the victims themselves organized to denounce it publicly. They say their initial reports went unanswered, a claim that has not yet been checked with the institutions concerned.
The Asociación de Abogadas Feministas de La Araucanía (Abofem), a regional association of feminist women lawyers, began providing legal guidance to the victims. The organization framed the events as digital gender-based violence. It recommended preserving digital evidence, such as screenshots and links, and submitting the information directly to the Ministerio Público.
The sources do not specify which offense is being investigated or the possible penalties. The legal classification of the conduct will be determined by the investigation. Nor do they detail which investigative steps were ordered or which police force was assigned, and no case number (RUC, the Rol Único de Causa, or unique case number assigned by the prosecutor's office) has been reported.
Anyone who finds images of themselves in these channels can file a report with the Fiscalía, with Carabineros (Chile's uniformed national police) or with the Policía de Investigaciones (PDI, Chile's investigative police). For guidance in cases of violence against women, there is the Carabineros 149 hotline and the chat service of the Servicio Nacional de la Mujer y la Equidad de Género (Sernameg, the national service for women and gender equity). The images should not be forwarded, not even to warn others, because doing so exposes the victims again.
The investigation will need to establish who ran the groups, how the material was obtained and what role was played by those who requested or shared it. The total number of victims has not yet been reported.
