A United Nations (UN) Broadband Commission report in 2015 highlighted that 73 per cent of women and girls have been exposed or have experienced some form of online violence. — AFP pic
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 16 ― When it comes to online bullying and harassment, the viciousness cares not what a Malaysian woman’s ethnicity, religion, political affiliations or even sexuality may be.
A report titled “Voice, Visibility and a Variety of Viciousness” to be launched by women’s human rights group Empower Malaysia today has revealed the tactics used by parts of Malaysian society to harass women into silence online ― sometimes through bandwagoning, and at other times, with sinister intent to cause harm.
The qualitative study involving 15 women found that in most cases, bullying and harassment often started with an individual or group of main antagonists who generate offending data or image, which was then amplified by secondary perpetrators by retweeting, downloading, forwarding, liking, and sharing the contents.
The study also found that while most respondents were harassed by individuals who acted of their own accord, some were aware they were victims of coordinated campaigns, with one target believing her harassers were being paid to do so. Read more
