The Great Gender Glitch: Women and Online Violence

This International Women’s Day, the world celebrates the women leaders who vociferously champion technology as a tool of transformative development and lend voices to those who are being left behind by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). It also intends to draw attention to another ugly facet of our digital lives as online gender-based violence grows. Low- and middle-income countries have lost out on an estimated US$ 1 trillion from the gross domestic product in the last decade by excluding women from the digital world according to UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 report and is projected to inflict an additional damage of US$ 1.5 trillion. The report further stated that this damaging trend cannot be rectified if concerted efforts are not undertaken to tackle the increasing online violence against women. Another recent survey carried out in 22 countries reported that girls and young women are the biggest targets of online abuse. The pandemic-induced lockdowns, across the world, exacerbated online abuse against women, inflicting damage on many who aspired to transition to digital platforms to reinstate their professions or speak as global netizens. While the tech world has opened doors for us to connect, learn, establish and consolidate businesses, forge relationships, share information and knowledge and advocate for our rights, we cannot overlook the fact that it comes with its own trappings. As we engage more and more with the virtual world, its power is progressively becoming roguish, further deepening old gendered inequalities. It manifests itself in many forms such as online sexual harassment, intimidation, bullying or threats of rape and death via email and other social media platforms, non-consensual image or video-sharing, cyberstalking (via tracking apps and other digital devices), etc..

The pandemic-induced lockdowns, across the world, exacerbated online abuse against women, inflicting damage on many who aspired to transition to digital platforms to reinstate their professions or speak as global netizens.

One of the earliest comprehensive reports that underlined the premise that the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) would be essentially handicapped without the prohibition of online gender-induced violence in society was a report submitted to the Human Rights Council in 2018 by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women. Acknowledging that online violence can be a significant deterrent to women’s digital skill development, the G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Declaration of Hamburg, 2017 recognised the need for prevention, protection, and raising resources and awareness of women and girls in the cyber world. Some G20 members like France have ensured that cyberbullying against women and girls is introduced as a new criminal offence. Italy included the unlawful dissemination of sexually explicit images or videos as a new criminal offence. Cybercrimes against women in India have also surged alarmingly accordingly to the National Crime Research Bureau (NCRB) between 2018 and 2020 with a 110 percent spurt in cases lodged for publishing sexually explicit content. Although budget allocations for centrally sponsored schemes approved under the Schemes for the Safety of Women such as the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children have been raised,  a lot remains to be achieved. Online gender-based violence surged globally during the pandemic and most nations struggled to grapple with the violation of women’s online lives in the absence of a strong legislative framework. People of all genders are falling victim to online abuse but an overall majority of them happen to be women and girls. It is particularly hurting women and girls who stand at the intersectionality of social disadvantage such as race, class, caste, religion and disability. Amongst women, women of colour are more susceptible to online violence, while women belonging to ethnic or religious minorities and women with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex women (LBTI) are facing brickbats on social media platforms. Peer inflicted online abuse is not only limited to young people but also extends to women who wield power. It’s also turning out as a power play and dominance often targeting those who dare to transgress patriarchal stereotypes and are propounding gender empowerment. Time and again, the digital space has zeroed down on women’s leadership, be it politicians, celebrities, public figures, journalists, environmentalists, influencers, and other activists. Many have been subject to relentless trolling and smear campaigns that undermine their agency and delegitimising their workplace.

Cybercrimes against women in India have also surged alarmingly accordingly to the National Crime Research Bureau (NCRB) between 2018 and 2020 with a 110 percent spurt in cases lodged for publishing sexually explicit content.

Combatting online violence against women

Understanding violence against women in the digital sphere remains largely understated and unaddressed. While some countries interweave cybercrimes against women within the larger ambit of women’s safety, child rights and Internet safety, some tend to concentrate on particular forms of digital offenses. This bracketed approach often blindsided the fact that online violence against women has detrimental effects capable of causing social, economic and psychological damage. It can disable women’s rights to political participation and freedom of expression which can have serious repercussions in democratic discourse. There, of course, are other actors as well especially the ‘social media giants’, who are not bound by any international agreements for instance the Istanbul Convention or CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) have little control over gender-based hostilities on their platforms. Law enforcement agencies also often tend to minimise the risks of online crime against women negating the fact that it can it as offensive and threatening as offline violence. For India, a good start perhaps would be to pass the amendment to the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986 (IRWA), to include virtual spaces, which has been pending before parliament for over nine years. This is imperative because IRWA in its present avatar primarily prohibits indecent representation of women through advertisements or in publications, writings, paintings, or figures. This unfortunately seems archaic as the virtual space continues to expand at lightning speed victimising women through cyberstalking, bullying, defamation, cyber pornography, morphing, malicious distribution of personal images, zoom bombing, online trolling, blackmailing, threats and intimidation, the list is a bottomless pit. This calls for a dynamic and flexible legislative system which will be able to acclimatise itself to protect the rights of women. Generic laws often get entrapped into censorship and run the risk of undermining the rights of women like healthy discussions on gender and reproductive health.

Social media platforms should formulate robust gender-sensitive policies and redressal systems in place to let women navigate virtual spaces without fear by simply blocking or taking down offensive posts.

Fighting off online crimes against women then needs deep introspection of the challenges of deep-rooted inequalities like misogyny, hurtful social norms and mindsets that aid in consolidating violence. A multi-pronged and proactive approach perhaps can go a long way in tackling these crimes head-on. States on their part should able to ensure that online victims of violence are able to report crimes without fear of re-victimisation. Social media platforms should formulate robust gender-sensitive policies and redressal systems in place to let women navigate virtual spaces without fear by simply blocking or taking down offensive posts. As the decentralised cyber world grows unabated globally, it creates challenges in governance and regulation requiring new legal safeguards that promote women’s rights. One huge lacuna that needs attention is perhaps to raise professionals within law enforcement agencies to be able to investigate and prosecute online offenders. Guaranteeing digital security necessitates the need to raise public awareness and equip schools with knowledge systems which can disseminate information about the perils of the digital space. A United Nations report identifies the gaps in cyberspace as a global challenge, reinforcing the fact that online violence has disproportionately impacted women and girls and evicted them out of public dialogue. Turning a blind eye to digital violence against women will further fortify women’s self-censorship and erode them of their self-esteem. As we dedicate this day to honouring the socio- economic, cultural, and political accomplishments of women lets us call for immediate action to unpack the changing nature landscape of violence against women while we step up concerted efforts for women’s digital rights to work towards achieving our unified commitment to gender development and women’s justice.

• Gender
• India
• digital
• G20
• online sexual harassment
• violence
• Women

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