Digital Harms, Embodied Consequences: The Double Victimization of Survivors of Image-Based Sexual Violence in China

Image-based sexual violence (IBSV) has emerged as a significant global concern, yet empirical research in China remains limited. Drawing on an online survey, in-depth interviews, and analysis of legal cases, this study presents the first survivor-centered examination of IBSV in the Chinese context. Findings reveal that IBSV produces layered and enduring harms, including psychological distress, social exclusion, and withdrawal from digital life, often intensified by secondary victimization through legal ambiguity, institutional inaction, and inadequate platform governance. Survivors frequently struggle to name or report their experiences due to inadequate legal categories and normative stigma. By centering survivors’ voices, this study conceptualizes IBSV as a continuum of harm across digital, social, and institutional domains, contributing to feminist victimology and TFGBV scholarship.