Cyber Protectors
DIGITAL VIOLENCE IS REAL.
DIGITAL VIOLENCE IS REAL.
Digital violence is real. Online violence can be digital violence. Digital violence is often gender-based violence.
The vast majority of reports the public report are not digital harassment crimes, but rather acts of hate — such as verbal harassment or sexism in public spaces.
Even though all acts of hate are harmful and traumatic, most are not classified as crimes or cyber crimes. This means they cannot be addressed through our criminal legal system.
It is important to note that cyber harassment, cyberstalking, and digital violence’s definitions are interpreted differently by state and there is currently no nationwide agreement on the definitions. Due to this, digital crimes are evaluated differently and some states may not have a regulation for a certain cybercrime.
Through continued investments in these four strategies, Cyber Protectors advances progress in our three core issue areas: Protect, Understand, and Report.
“41% of U.S. adults have personally experienced online harassment, and 25% have experienced more severe online harassment”
Pew Research Center …
Modern “digital technologies form part of a ‘constellation of tactics’ within abusive relationships, used as tools to achieve certain perpetrator goals” (Reed, 2016), in addition “researchers note that it is no longer accurate to conceptualize intimate partner violence as predominantly a face-to-face encounter between perpetrator and victim” (Marganski, 2018).
Key terms to help you understand our website and recognize your current situation.
Gender-based violence (GBV): is harm, or threats to harm, committed against a person(s) based on actual or perceived sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or other such sex/gender-related characteristics.
GBV Online-Based Examples:
Cyberstalking
Imaged-based sexual abuse
Psychological violence
Threats of physical sexual and other violence
Sexual or other types of harassment.
Sex and gender trolling.
Sexting.
Publishing intimate images, videos, or audio clips without consent.
Accessing private data through hacking.
Digital Violence: refers to various forms of harassment, degradation, discrimination, or social isolation on the internet or by electronic means of communication.
Online Sexual Harassment (OSH): includes offensive, humiliating, or intimidating conduct that is unwanted or unwelcome and of a sexual nature. 3
Intimate Partner Violence: is abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship. Intimate partner refers to both current and former spouses and dating partners.
Protect
Explore our website for guidance on dealing with online harassment on popular platforms and additional support materials.
Understand
Discover additional information on this gender-based violence issue and explore five actionable steps that you can take immediately to address it.
Report
Are you ready to share your experience? Kindly submit details of your cyber-harassment incident to help our organization gather further data on this critical issue.