Cyber Violence

Posted on by admin scorp

Living in this era of cyber age, endless opportunities for communication are provided. This opens as well to new challenges and dangers. Cyberviolence is interpreted as behaviours in online platforms that criminally or non-criminally assault, or can lead to assault, of a person’s physical, psychological or emotional well-being. It happens on online platforms, but the after effects may take place offline.

The rapidly growing and spreading information and communications in cyber enabled various efforts to address violence against women and girls. Millions of women around the world are subjected to deliberate violence because of their gender. According to the United Nation, The number of women who have already been exposed or experienced cyber violence is rather high too at approximately 73%. A research by WHO shows that since 15 years old, one in every ten women have already experienced a form of cyber violence.

A recent study conducted by Polling Indonesia in collaboration with the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) has found that 49 percent of Indonesian netizens have been bullied on social media. According to the VAW learning network, there are six broad categories that encompass forms of cyber violence against women and girls (VAWG) :

  1. Hacking: the use of technology to gain illegal or unauthorized access to systems or resources to acquire personal information, alter or modify information
  2. Impersonation: the use of technology to assume the identity of the victim or someone else to access private information
  3. Surveillance/Tracking: the use of technology to stalk and monitor a victim’s activities and behaviours
  4. Harassment/Spamming: the use of technology to continuously contact, annoy, threaten, and/or scare the victim
  5. Recruitment: use of technology to lure potential victims into violent situations
  6. Malicious Distribution: use of technology to manipulate and distribute defamatory and illegal materials related to the victim

Characteristic and profiles of Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)

  1. Anonymity: an abusive person can remain unknown to the victim
  2. Action-at-a-distance: abuse can be done without physical contact and from anywhere
  3. Automation: abusive actions using technologies require less time and effort
  4. Accessibility: the variety and affordability of many technologies make them readily accessible to perpetrators
  5. Propagation and perpetuity: text and image multiply and exist for a long time or indefinitely

The key is to focus on prevention, particularly among young children, and on developing an array of strategies to address VAWG (Violence Against Women and Girls). Increasing the monitoring and control in cyber, updating regulations or policies, empowering citizens to understand their rights to speech, assembly or association apply in the digital spaces. These could include education programs targeting primary-age children, after-school and community-based programs for youth, employment training programs, and support and effective and sustainable funding for positive and expressive outlets such as sports, art, and music. 

REFERENCES

  1. https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/what-is-it
  2. https://magdalene.co/story/cyberbullied-in-indonesia
  3. U.N. Women. (2015). Cyber Violence Against Women And Girls: A World-Wide Wake-Up Call.
  4. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

CURIOUS by

Safana Tashfiya Mushvira

Human Rights Trainer

CIMSliography

  1. Member SCORP CIMSA Unsoed Batch 2019
  2. LORP Observer SCORP CIMSA Unsoed 2019-2020
  3. Human Rights Trainer