International Legal Perspective On Online Gendered Harassment And Violence
- IJLLR Journal
- Dec 26, 2024
- 2 min read
Dr. Sakshee Sharma, School of Law, UPES University, Dehradun
While ICT has unlocked the doors for human civilisation beyond which lies endless potential to learn, explore, connect, share, create, invent, and express, there is no denying that in the past decade we also have witnessed the entrapments of letting ICT engulf our lives. Our greater indulgence into cyberspace with each passing day, leaves us vulnerable to the exacerbated malicious nature of the cyberspace.1 And it is no surprise to see once again, the marginalised and the weak, to be at the receiving end of what the dark side of cyberspace has to offer. Online sexual harassment, intimidation, rape threats, trolling, cyber stalking, non-consensual image sharing are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the victimisation of women and girls on the internet. At the other end of the continuum is a wide range of harms that have a direct causal link to the harms mentioned above. Denial to women, the equal digital rights to participate in social life, in public spheres, political discourse, economic opportunities, and to attain empowerment is what we find brewing under the surface. Unfortunately, almost all societies are afflicted with greater harm caused by gendered cyber harassment. In 2016, a study conducted by Norton Symantec revealed that 76% Australian Women under the age of 30 reported to have faced harassment online.2 Another 2020 Global Survey conducted by The World Wide Web Foundation and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts revealed that 52 % of women have experienced online abuse in the form of threatening messages, non-consensual sharing of private images, and sexual harassment.3 In yet another survey of 14,000 girls and young women, across 31 countries, conducted by Plan International in 2020 revealed that 58% of the girls reported having personally experienced some form of Online Gendered Harassment and Violence (OGHV) on social media platforms. In Europe, the percentage was 63%, 60% in Latin America, 58% in Asia-Pacific region, 54% in Africa, and 52% of girls harassed online in North America.4 In light of these alarming numbers, it becomes quite imperative to take a look at the legislative efforts being made across the globe to prevent such largescale misogynistic attacks from happening to women online. Thus, the objective of the following text is to explore the current state of affairs relating to international commitments to fight OGHV.
