‘Rape academies’ exposed! Hidden online groups are training men to drug and assault women

A CNN probe has revealed a sprawling underground ecosystem of online groups in which men exchange tactics, videos, and even chemicals used to incapacitate and sexually assault women, frequently their own spouses or partners. Released in March and April 2026 under CNN’s As Equals series, the investigation exposes digital spaces where sexual violence is normalised, instructed, and in some cases, commercialised.

These communities operate across mainstream platforms, private forums, and encrypted messaging services. Investigators found exchanges involving detailed instructions on administering sedatives, avoiding detection, and recording assaults. Much of the abuse takes place inside victims’ homes, underscoring how attackers exploit trust and proximity.

Hidden marketplace for abuse

One of the most active websites identified in the investigation is Motherless.com, which attracted around 62 million visits in February 2026. The platform hosts thousands of user-submitted videos categorised under terms like “#sleep” or “#passedout,” often depicting women who appear unconscious. Some clips include perpetrators lifting victims’ eyelids, an “eyecheck”, to show they are sedated. Several of these videos have drawn tens of thousands of views.

Investigators also uncovered private chat groups, including one called “Zzz,” where members discuss substances, dosing methods, and techniques for concealing drugs in food or beverages.

In certain cases, individuals attempted to turn abuse into profit. One man, claiming to operate from Ceuta, advertised a so-called “sleeping liquid” on Telegram for €150, promising global delivery. He claimed the substance was colourless, odourless, and effective:

“Your wife won't feel anything and won't remember anything,” he wrote.

Some users also promoted paid livestreams of drug-facilitated assaults, requesting cryptocurrency payments from viewers.

‘Online rape academies’ and real-world trauma

A French lawmaker, who survived drug-facilitated sexual violence herself, condemned the spaces as “online rape academies” and “schools of violence,” warning they enable perpetrators to learn, coordinate, and evade accountability.

The investigation highlights the devastating consequences for women whose abusers are often those closest to them. In one documented case, a woman learned that her husband of 16 years had been crushing their son’s medication into her tea before sexually assaulting her.

Her words underline the hidden nature of such crimes, "We worry about who's coming behind us, walking down the street, or who's even friending us on Facebook. You know, we worry about going to our car late at night in a car park, but we don't worry about who you lie next to. I didn't realize I had to."

Her husband confessed on an ordinary Sunday in 2018 after the family returned from church. Following CNN’s reporting, authorities were able to track down and arrest at least one known network member in Poland.

Echoes of the Pelicot case

This disturbing trend mirrors a notorious earlier case that shocked France in 2024. The Dominique Pelicot trial, widely covered at the time, exposed how digital platforms can facilitate large-scale, coordinated assaults.

Pelicot was convicted of repeatedly drugging his wife, Gisèle, and enabling her rape by dozens of men he met online. She was assaulted over 200 times by 70 men, some of whom remain unidentified.

The website involved, Coco, was shut down, yet investigators warn that similar communities have since multiplied, operating with even greater reach.

CNN reporters found groups with tens of thousands of members, communicating mainly in English while sharing imagery, videos and detailed instructions. Members often operate behind layers of anonymity, creating a sense of camaraderie that normalises abuse and emboldens repeat offenders.