ONLINE ABUSE
ONLINE WEBS OF THE WICKED
Ruwandi Perera sheds light on the darker shade of the internet for women
It’s March and we’re all hyped up about International Women’s Day. Issues such as female empowerment, gender equality, shattering the glass ceiling, bridging gender gaps and fighting discrimination are being highlighted – and women are celebrating success and achievement more than ever.
Yet, there’s much to be achieved for women across various demographics so they too can enjoy their fundamental rights – including the ability to be active digital citizens.
A UN report titled ‘Online and ICT facilitated violence against women and girls during COVID-19’ notes the pandemic has intensified violence against females in the form of domestic violence (offline) and cyber abuse (online).
The report warns that this level of violence can impact women’s access to digital services, education and employment opportunities, and reduce their participation online.
Both women and children are subjected to online violence. A report titled ‘Online Violence Against Children in Sri Lanka: A National Research on Incidence, Nature and Scope’ – published in 2019 by the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs together with international NGOs – focusses on children’s rights and reveals that over 28 percent of kids have experienced online violence with girls suffering more than boys.
This violence takes the form of receiving indecent messages, links and advertisements; cyberbullying; extortion; and having indecent pictures of the victims being shared online.
Online harassment against women includes hate speech, ‘doxxing’ (maliciously searching and publishing private information about individuals online), cyberstalking and revenge porn.
What’s worse is these online attacks are followed up with offline threats – in many instances, including trafficking, prostitution and being sold for sex.
Sri Lanka is seeing a sickening rise in revenge porn too, whereby girls who share photos with boys who befriend them are subsequently blackmailed when relationships end.
The increase in smartphone usage coupled with more people isolating themselves at home and being connected only through their electronic devices has escalated the incidence of online crime.
Similar to being trapped at home with abusive partners, and suffering physical and emotional domestic violence, women face many threats online too. It’s not that males aren’t violated, abused and exploited online; but women are at the receiving end of a disproportionate share of such abuse.
The good news is that there’s a steady rise in action being taken to arrest the issue – i.e. by raising awareness, establishing governmental agencies and NGOs to combat online violence, reinforcing laws and rules, and lobbying.
Facebook (FB) is Sri Lanka’s most widely used social media platform; it’s also where much leaking of intimate photos of young girls and women has been taking place. But FB is taking measures to combat this menace.
As with any challenge however, it is imperative that the affected parties reduce or eliminate their vulnerability. Women and men alike can greatly benefit from heightened awareness, and ensuring there are minimal opportunities for wrongdoers.
Simple measures such as using strong and private passwords, avoiding using the same password across multiple accounts and employing a password manager can help.
Knowing how website trackers and cookies work, and blocking such mechanisms, are some other effective measures. You will not only be protected against online sex maniacs but also avoid being bombarded by advertisements and unwanted content. Regularly erasing your browser and chat histories from your phone, iPad or laptop is another good practice.
It’s also recommended you take regular stock of how much of yourself is out there – a Google search of your name will show how much information such as photos, videos, contact details and other material about you is online. Protect yourself by deleting any pictures, videos and even blogs that can be used against you.
Online posts can last forever; and deleting the original post doesn’t necessarily mean that it has not been duplicated and is not still doing the rounds. But taking as many proactive measures as possible can save lives and reputations – starting with yours.
Perhaps it’s unfair for women to have to face and armour up against such an ugly side of technological advancement.
But ‘the truth is out there’ (pun intended). It’s plain for all to see and take action against. Today, enjoying a safe cyberspace can be cited as a basic human right; but it’s up to us to make it so.
