SARA BOUKHZARI

KERMANSHAH_In the lives of some women and girls, an image is not merely a reflection of their features; it can turn into an accusation that pursues them, a pretext for assaulting them, and a reason that threatens their lives. In societies where women are besieged by a strict system of surveillance and restrictions, a single image, even if completely fabricated, may be enough to turn a women’s life upside down. Truth does not determine her fate, but rather what others believe about her, and what they decide to impose on her in the name of “honor and reputation.”

In Kermanshah in eastern Kurdistan, a girl lives under the precise surveillance of her father and male brothers, who have decided to deprive her of continuing her education. She was only able to join a sewing course after long insistence — not out of belief in her right to learn or be independent, but to occupy her time and give her a limited opportunity to leave the house until she marries.

Amid this stifling environment, a fabricated image of a girl spread on social media, in which she appeared in the arms of a young man. In a small city where news travels quickly, the image did not need evidence confirming its authenticity to become material for judgments and condemnation. Before the truth was known, accusations had already begun, and before the manipulation was exposed, the girl had become confronted by her family and social surroundings.

This incident reveals an aspect of the renewed forms of violence to which women are subjected, when modern technologies are used to feed old patterns of control and humiliation. The girl who did not possess the freedom to decide the simplest details of her life suddenly found herself the victim of an image she did not make, and accused of an act she did not commit.

A Tool for Violence Against Women

Samira K., who possesses broader information about the case, says: "The reaction of the girl's family cannot be described; all that can be said is that she is still alive, despite days of violence, threats, and psychological pressure she was subjected to by her father and brothers. A few days after the incident, the family decided — despite the girl's continuous insistence that she does not even know the identity of the young man appearing in the image — to file a complaint against the person in it, with the aim of forcing him to marry their daughter. But the procedures stopped from the beginning of filing the complaint, as it quickly became clear to them that the image was completely fabricated, that it was produced using artificial intelligence, and that the person appearing in it is a foreign actor."

This incident reveals how a fabricated image can turn into a tool of violence against women, in a society that rushes to condemn them instead of holding the aggressors accountable. Although artificial intelligence provides broad capabilities for development and facilitating life, its misuse may make it a means of violating privacy and defaming reputation.

Tampering with women's images did not begin with the emergence of this technology, but dates back to the spread of programs such as "Photoshop," which were used to modify images and give them a sexual character for the purposes of revenge, defamation, and humiliation. Today, with the development of artificial intelligence, forgery has become easier and more realistic, while women remain exposed to serious social and psychological consequences, despite their lack of connection to producing or publishing those images.

In this context, journalist Masoumeh S. says: "The voices and images of women have often been tampered with by various men, then published for purposes said to aim at defaming them and harming their reputations. But the fundamental flaw does not lie in technology itself; rather, in that any tool or possibility, when it falls into the hands of patriarchy, turns into a dangerous weapon used against women."

Family Pressures Causing Suicide Cases

During recent years, fabricated images have been used to take revenge on women and defame their reputations, as happened in Lorestan province, when fake images of more than 200 women were published through a Telegram channel, using artificial intelligence and image manipulation techniques. This incident caused tragic consequences, as several women committed suicide under the weight of family and social pressures, while it turned out that the main officials of the channel were three men.

This incident reveals that the falsity of images does not prevent the reality of their harm; in a society that holds women responsible for what is published about them, digital forgery may turn into a tool for blackmail, violence, and defamation, threatening their safety and lives, even without them committing any fault.

This is what Roxana S. experienced, whose images were tampered with and publicly published last year by her former fiancé. She says: "He created an Instagram page in my name, and put my face on images of semi-nude women. I was sure it was him, because he was the only person who had access to my real photos. Fortunately, my family stood by my side, but for a long time I remained unable even to leave the house, out of fear of those around me. When we filed a complaint, the first reaction of the police was to blame me; they asked me: Why did you put your photos within reach of another person? Whereas that person was my fiancé, not a stranger to me."

Roxana S.'s case reveals how a woman is blamed for a violation she did not commit, instead of holding the person responsible for it accountable. The police's reaction was based on blaming her, not protecting her, reflecting a patriarchal system that makes women responsible for their reputations, and grants society the authority to monitor and judge their behavior.

This mentality is manifested in the concept of "honor linked to women," which turns her into an object of accusation even when she is a victim of defamation and blackmail. The paradox is that some men who raise slogans of protecting honor are themselves the ones who use women's images as a means of revenge and humiliation, which reveals that these concepts are sometimes exploited to impose control rather than being fixed moral principles.

With the development of artificial intelligence technologies, it has become possible to create fake images and videos attributed to women who have done nothing, so that the harm goes beyond the direct victim to implant fear and self-censorship in others, pushing them to avoid appearing in the digital space for fear of defamation or violence.

Therefore, confronting this phenomenon is not by restricting women or holding them responsible for what they are subjected to, but by holding those who produce and publish fabricated content accountable, and providing legal and psychological protection for victims. The problem is not in technology itself, but in its use to entrench patriarchal dominance, and in a society that punishes a woman for a violation committed against her instead of holding the aggressor accountable