Can you explain the project for us?

An investigation by BBC Arabic has found that thousands of people in some of the world’s most conservative societies are being threatened, blackmailed, or shamed with private or sexually explicit images.

In this project BBC Arabic examine this subject with a series of feature stories, animations, short documentary videos, and innovative online experiences.

Why have you made it?

We are bringing the untold stories of the Arabic world to our audience, and the Shame season is an example of our ability to examine subjects that others do not, and to do it in innovative and engaging ways

How did you go about making it?

The BBC Arabic team has used its network of journalists around the world to investigate this hidden crisis. They have been to prisons in Tunisia, safe-houses in Jordan and a town in Morocco that has developed a cottage industry in skype scamming.  Working with colleagues across the BBC they have also reported from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. 

Can the audience get involved?

The bespoke portal on BBC Taster is in both Arabic and English (a first for the BBC). Users will be able to access output via their mobile as well as taking part in an anonymous quiz and sharing their own stories.

And user generated content – real experiences from audiences across the Arab world will be showcased in a live online page in a variety of ways.