Outrage After Women Filmed Without Consent in Kenya and Ghana

Fri Mar 27 2026 11:09:13 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A disturbing trend has emerged where women are secretly filmed in public spaces and then ridiculed online, leading to legal calls against those perpetuating such acts.

In an alarming rise of non-consensual filming, Joy Kalekye and other women in Kenya and Ghana have become victims of online mockery after being secretly filmed. Activists are calling for accountability, while victims face backlash instead of support. The man behind the camera has been named, but efforts to hold him accountable face challenges.

On Valentine's Day, Joy Kalekye received alarming news from a friend urging her to check social media. To her dismay, she discovered a video of herself posted online, showing her casually standing by the roadside in Nairobi, unaware she was being filmed.

This encounter marked the start of a troubling narrative for many women in Kenya and Ghana, as videos showcasing men approaching them without consent have gone viral, changing these women into unwitting 'stars' of ridicule.

Kalekye reflected on her initial encounter with a man who struck up a conversation with her; the realization that he had recorded her without her knowledge only surfaced much later. The videos, which often garnered millions of views, display a pattern of disrespect towards women, as men touch their hair and demand personal information while filming them. This is part of a disturbing global phenomenon where men exploit hidden cameras to film interactions, often profiting from the content displayed online.

The backlash has been severe. Rather than focusing on the unacceptable behavior of the men filming these interactions, social media has often turned on the women, subjecting them to harassment and blame. Activists in both countries have voiced outrage, demanding legal repercussions for the man identified as Vladislav Liulkov, who reportedly filmed these intimate moments without consent.

Kalekye described the experience as akin to being a celebrity but not in a positive light. Brenda Yambo, a legal advisor with FIDA-Kenya, stated that this situation reinforces harmful gender stereotypes, shifting blame onto the victims instead of addressing the underlying wrongdoing of non-consensual filming.

Despite the rise of advocacy voices, like that of Kalekye who speaks out against the victim-blaming, societal attitudes remain entrenched. Activist groups continue to pressure authorities to hold those responsible accountable and to prevent such violations of privacy from recurring. With lives and reputations unjustly impacted, the call for sensitivity and respect towards victims echoes louder than ever.