Eliminating Online Violence Against Women and Girls is Everyone’s Responsibility7 min read
In December last year, Rita received a private message from one of her followers on Twitter. The message was a harmless, simple, lazy chit-chat that she didn’t think much of at the time but one that scared her in the months that followed.
She thought it was “Just one of those bored people trying to pass time”, but this chit-chat soon turned into stalking. Days later, she stopped responding to the messages and that’s when her stalker started messaging her on Instagram. When she blocked him there, he turned to Facebook. At this point, Rita was getting annoyed but also scared.
Her real fears were confirmed when she received an email from her stalker. She couldn’t think of any way he could have gotten her email since she had never shared it with him. As she contemplated what to do next, a message came through on her phone number from her stalker. At this point she had to report the matter to the authorities.
All messages were expressions of his love for her although she had explicitly told him that she wasn’t interested. The more she rejected his advances, the more intense the situation became. The messages became threatening. One of the messages he sent to her read, “I have really strong feelings and if we can’t be together, then no one else should have you.” A few days, another message in, “I know where you stay and soon either a knife or my penis will enter you. You decide.” It is at this point that she had to report to the authorities.
Although the stalker was arrested, Rita continues to live in fear and believes that she may no longer get rid of this fear for the rest of her life. After that incident, she suffered from depression and paranoia. She deleted all her social media accounts, changed her phone number and her email address. Her mental health was seriously damaged, and she constantly lives in fear.
In West Africa, In West Africa, Amidah became a victim of revenge porn when her ex-boyfriend leaked a video of her being raped. Amidah was young, had just started working and was full of life. Soon after, she met a guy and they started dating although the guy was Eight years her senior. However, the whirlwind romance came to a stop two months later. The relationship wasn’t healthy, and she decided they should take a break.
The guy didn’t take it well. His plea that they get back together fell on deaf ears. Although the relationship was toxic, Wanjiru never expected that he would turn into a monster. One day, the ex-boyfriend called her and asked if they could meet and hang out since he was relocating to another country for work. For old times’ sake, she agreed to meet with him at a bar. She says she doesn’t remember much from what happened that night apart from the first minutes when the guy was updating her about his new plans.
As the evening progressed, Wanjiru became weak and drowsy despite being a light drinker. Before she knew what was happening to her, she passed out. Her ex-boyfriend took her to his place, raped her while she was unconscious and also filmed the entire ordeal. But it would be almost a year before she would find out.
A video was making rounds on the internet and as fate would have it, someone sent it to her. At first, she didn’t recognize the girl but after watching it twice, and feeling sorry for the girl in the video, it dawned on her. She was the girl in the video and the person raping her is her ex-boyfriend. She went through shock, denial, anger and depression to the point of attempting to commit suicide.
Her ex-boyfriend had leaked it online and the comments began. Most of them were vile and abusive and some of them called the girl in the video a prostitute. To make it worse, her name leaked, and people found out about her identity.
The months that followed were hell. The hardest part was having to explain to her family. She lost her job because she couldn’t focus. She started drinking senselessly every day, and nightmares became so regular that she couldn’t sleep for fear of being raped. Depression, anxiety, and fear became part of her life. After surviving two suicide attempts and seeing her life destroyed, she sought help. Almost a year after, she still sees a therapist. She has since relocated to another country to get a fresh start.
Rita’s and Amidah’s stories are part of the many cases among the growing number of online violence against women and girls.
Online violence against women and girls is one of the fastest spreading forms of violence, more lethal than portrayed. A cancer that is eating up society with little to no efforts directed towards its elimination in some parts of the world because to many, it is perceived as a frivolous matter or one that is of secondary importance. Also, many people do not realize that they might be active participants in it. What might be regarded as a justified response to an infringement could actually be perpetuating the cycle of abuse. As such, the victim becomes the perpetrator, hence the cycle.
Online violence is part of a spectrum of gender-based violence that keeps women from thriving, both online and offline. Just like other forms of violence, these human rights violations are fueled by systematic structural gender inequality, cultural and social norms as well as toxic gender and racial biases.
Online violence takes many forms ranging from Cyber harassment, bullying, hate speech, revenge porn, threats of rape and sexual assault to threats of murder.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, as many remained locked indoors with no other option but to work, learn and socialize online, globally women and girls were most vulnerable. Many were exposed to virtual predators and all forms of online violence. According to One Global data, the prevalence ranges from 16% to 58%.
As Rwanda joins the rest of the world during the #16DaysOfActivism to end violence against women and girls, The Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion in partnership with Masozera Africa is increasing awareness about online violence against women and girls.
According to Isabelle Masozera, the Founder of Masozera Africa, online violence against women and girls should be perceived as a public threat. It is devastatingly rampant, relentless, and borderless.
“Online violence is very complex because our online and offline lives have become more integrated and its impact now overlaps both the physical and digital spaces. Perpetrators of online violence are now using digital tools, such as social media and GPS tracking, to cause harm alongside in-person violence. These tools have also opened the door to new forms of abuse, such as the non-consensual creation of sexual images through artificial intelligence, including deep-fake videos,” she said.
Masozera further adds that sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between the consequences of actions that are initiated online from offline and vice versa because online GBV is committed in the continuum between online and offline. However, she adds that not all hope is lost.
“We agree that there are significant gaps in awareness, policies, frameworks and laws to prevent and respond to these crimes but some steps have been made and policies and laws are also coming into place. More efforts are required in those areas and awareness campaigns at individual, household, and government levels.”
Important to note is that the effects of online violence can be just as dire as any other form of violence, with both short and long-term consequences for women and girls. It can be harmful to their health and well-being, hinder their participation in digital space and exclude them from the digital economy which can in turn impact the country’s economic development.
Ending online violence against women and girls is a collective responsibility!
This year, as the world marks International Day to End Violence against Women and Girls, and through the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence Against Women Campaign, Masozera Africa firmly takes a stand against all forms of violence against women and girls.
Will you join us?
Speak Up & Power Up, United we can #EndGBV
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To learn more about how you can be involved during #16DaysOfActivism, Connect with MIGEPROF;
2560 (toll-free)