CYBER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

France is among the countries where respondents
do not feel they can express their opinions safely
online (76 per cent), alongside South Korea
(72 per cent), Spain (66 per cent), Canada, the
USA, and Germany (65 per cent each). Only six
surveyed countries have majorities that feel they
can express their opinions online safely: Nigeria
(71 per cent), India (67 per cent), Indonesia
(57 per cent), Kenya (52 per cent), Pakistan and
Peru (both 51 per cent) – all of them emerging or
developing countries.
• At the same time, two-thirds of respondents
(67 per cent) say the Internet brings them greater
freedom, with the most enthused respondents
being in Africa (81 per cent in Nigeria and 78 per
cent in Kenya), followed by Australians (77 per
cent), Britons (76 per cent), Indonesians (73 per
cent), Canadians and Americans (both 72 per
cent). In contrast, people in China do not report a
strong sense of increased freedom from using the
Internet, with a narrow majority agreeing with the
statement and 45 per cent disagreeing with it.
• The counter-evidence shows that 70 per cent
of Internet users consider the Internet to be
‘liberating’ and in a 2013 survey of 2,200 women;
85 per cent said it “provides more freedom.”
If the Internet continues to be an arena where users
can be harassed, stalked, bullied and threatened with
impunity, the ‘liberating’ and ‘safe’ aspects of this space
will inevitably shrink. This could turn away existing and
potential new users. It is already turning away women as
noted in a recent GSMA report
GSMA: Bridging the gender gap: Mobile access and
usage in low- and middle-income countries, 2015
UN Women and Microsoft under the UN Women Safe
Cities programme developed a methodology to fill a
knowledge gap around access to and use of mobile
phones to address violence against women and girls,
particularly in public spaces in disadvantaged areas in
the city. The findings from Delhi, Marrakesh and Rio
studies provide nuance and insights around these issues,
as well into the challenges with online violence against
women and the potential and barriers to the use of mobile
technology to combat violence against women and girls in
cross-regional perspective. The full city reports also detail
the local context, issues, potential and benefits of mobile
phones for addressing girls’ and women’s public safety
concerns. The following box provides highlights of some
of the threats and barriers, as well as steps to overcome
them.
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