By Saffiyah Khalique
During the coronavirus pandemic, there has been an increase in the global online
harassment of women by current and former abusive partners. This has occurred due to the lockdown life and people being stuck in front of screens for lengthier periods of time than ever before.
Thomson Reuters tells the story of Priya, an anonymous account of a woman whose
boyfriend tries to control her online presence. She tells Reuters: “I was constantly walking
eggshells. It may not be physical violence but it would mean either I’m slut-shamed (for
talking to people online) or I worried how my behaviour would trigger him which always
meant trouble for me.”
Digital rights researcher for women and girls at the World Wide Web Foundation, Azmina
Dhrodia says that: ”The entire way you use the web has changed. It’s no longer seen as a
luxury, it really is a lifeline for many of us. But with that comes certain risks, especially if
you’re a woman.” This comes after the restrictions on physical interactions brings a shift to
online communication, which means that digital gender abuse is likely to increase now that we as a society rely on the internet so much more leaving little room for escape from it.
Age is an important factor to consider, when reports by rights groups have found that
girls as young as eight-years-old have been subject to abuse. The harassment girls received included threats of physical and sexual violence according to Plan Internationals’ survey.
Many said the abuse affected their mental health and a quarter said they felt physically
unsafe. This has led to one in five young women quitting or reducing their use of social
media. The abuse women are facing online is concerning, especially if it is turning them away from using online platforms in a world where we have become ever reliant upon them. Neema Iyer, head of digital rights group Pollicy said: “To think after all this effort, women come online, experience violence and are pushed back offline. And that’s really the purpose – to silence women.”
The most common and concerning form of abuse taken out online is called doxxing. This is the sharing of images, videos or private information, including location, online without
consent. Dhrodia argues that online violence is just a manifestation of the discrimination
women face in day-to-day life, but because physical interaction is limited in the pandemic era, this abuse has now moved online, and it is not surprising that it has increased during the pandemic.
U.N. women say at there has been an increase women’s shelters being at capacity and helplines seeing huge increased in calls during the pandemic. Not all of this is partner abuse, as other victims are singled out by strangers who hack their social media and steal their photos and other sensitive information. In this pattern of abuse, there has been an increased in spyware, stalkerware and online monitoring software.
What makes this issue frustrating is that it is difficult to hold abusers accountable online and is very difficult to regulate. The Legislation only partially covers online abuse, and this varies from country to country. Human rights lawyer Akhila Kolisetty said India, Canada, England, Pakistan and Germany are among the few countries that have outlawed image-based sexual abuse, where private images are shared without consent.
However, this is not good enough just on the country basis, but because technology is
changing so rapidly the laws are lagging behind the new forms of abuse that are being
carried out against women. Not only that, some women have been laughed out of police
stations for reporting online abuse according to Iyer. Yet, with this increased awareness of
the reliance upon the internet and tech tools women’s rights advocates are hopeful that
tech companies, governments and authorities will tackle this abuse properly.
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