Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday expressed anger on an adult website for publishing unauthorised pictures of women, including the PM herself, reported Reuters. Her remarks came amid an ongoing outcry in the country against online misogyny and abuse. The website, phica.eu, whose name is a play on a vulgar Italian slang term for female genitalia, removed the photos on Thursday after massive criticism and legal complaints.
“I am disgusted by what has happened, and I want to express my solidarity and closeness to all the women who have been offended, insulted, and violated in their intimacy by the administrators of this forum and its ‘users,'” Meloni said, Reuters cited a daily Corriere della Sera as quoting.
The website published images of opposition leader Elly Schlein, influencer Chiara Ferragni and EU lawmaker Alessandra Moretti, the report mentioned. These women have now filed a criminal complaint, saying such websites “incite rape and violence”.
Website accused of ‘online abuse’
In existence since 2005, the website with more than 200,000 registered members, came to limelight after media and political circles began scrutiny this week, the report mentioned. This was after another highly-publicised case of misogynist online abuse came forth.
Facebook earlier this month took down the Mia Moglie (‘My Wife’) group, where social media users shared intimate photos of women without their consent. The group was removed after the violation was flagged by multiple public complaints. Then, a spokesperson for Facebook’s parent company Meta said the group violated the social media company’s policy against the sexual exploitation of adults, Reuters further stated.
Italian PM’s outrage
Calling out the website, the Italian PM said it was disheartening to see that in 2025, there are still those who consider it normal and legitimate to trample on a woman’s dignity and make her the object of sexist and vulgar insults, hiding behind anonymity or a keyboard.
48-year-old Meloni is Italy’s first woman prime minister. Her cabinet member and Equality Minister Eugenia Roccella said the government was working on measures to build online protections and cultural reforms to combat misogyny and sexism.