It was nine o'clock in the evening when Ali's (15 years old) phone rang, alerting him to an unread message. He opened it, then quickly left the family gathering and entered his room. He appeared tense, his hands shaking as he held his phone and read it for the second time: "Don't force me to hurt you. Something you won't like will happen if the night passes and you don't send."

With a similar message Salma's phone rang. She was about the same age as Ali. She closed the door to her room, staring at the screen in panic: "As long as you resist me, I will send what I have to your father."

This was followed by another message to both of them: "Tonight... before 12 o'clock!"

The sender, using an "unknown name," was dispatching his messages one after another, warning them that if they did not carry out specific tasks, he would act. Then he would wait for their turn. On his screen, both now showed the "typing" indicator in the chat interface.



Telegram Trap

Luring Children for Sexual Exploitation and Selling Their Recorded Materials for Money
Based on documented testimonies, monitoring of Telegram groups and
channels, and interviews with relevant institutions
Over several months, we gathered scattered threads revealing the dark side
of Telegram, where children's photos are exploited and sold to hundreds or thousands of subscribers

Story: Marina Milad

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center