"The Sinister Side Of Kyrgyzstan's Online Sex Industry", 6 August 2021

...[This] investigation lifts the veil on the abuses -- including blackmail, rape, and doxing -- that young Kyrgyz women are subjected to while trying to make ends meet working for live webcam sites in the Central Asia nation, where, according to the World Bank, nearly one-third of the population lives in poverty.

...The global webcam industry generates billions of dollars annually, according to industry players and studies. In Central Asia, Bishkek and neighboring Kazakhstan’s economic capital, Almaty, have emerged as the regional hubs for webcam studios.

...Radio Azattyk spoke to multiple young women and other sources previously or currently involved in the webcam industry in Kyrgyzstan. The sources include a number of men involved in recruiting women, filming them, and communicating with clients.

When [workers] began complaining about their pay cuts around the third month of their employment, the studio administrators allegedly responded by threatening to leak their intimate videos and personal information.

...[M]any of the women who have suffered abuse fear going to police who, according to several sources, often provide cover for the studios...Three sources told RFE/RL that the owners of webcam studios in Kyrgyzstan typically enjoy high-level protection.

Kyrgyz authorities have opened several criminal cases for blackmail of women working for webcam sites, most of which were settled out of court. Some have resulted in fines or suspended sentences.