Elaborate the victimisation of women in social media
Answers
The most frequent experience was being asked to share sexual images of themselves, followed by receiving unsolicited sexual images and requests to talk about sex.
Of those questioned 41 per cent had experienced threatening behaviour online, the most common being receiving offensive messages, 38 per cent had experienced humiliating contact and 15 per cent had experienced sexual, threatening or humiliating contact.
Some participants admitted being perpetrators of cyberviolence, with 13 per cent admitting to sexual behaviour and 12 per cent admitting to threatening and humiliating behaviours.
Anyone can become a victim of abuse online, but it is apparent that certain behaviours are gender specific. For instance, women are more likely to have comments aimed at them threatening rape and other forms of sexual violence. This is particularly the case for women in the public eye. For example, Gina Miller (the claimant in R (Miller) v The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union [2016] EWHC 2768) has found herself at the centre of a campaign of online abuse. Abusive comments of sexual violence have been aimed at her. Comments like these are increasingly being used when it comes to the trolling of women online. The law of the United Kingdom has started to respond to online abuse. Legislation has been adapted to cover online behaviour. Despite this, the law’s response to serious online abuse directed at women has often seemed inadequate. For instance, Caroline Criado-Perez was subjected to extreme threats of sexual violence in 2014 via social media; several individuals were prosecuted for sending what was deemed “grossly offensive” comments.