CYBER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

does not require websites to authenticate users or attribute
their content. Websites must turn over information about
their users on request, but they aren’t required to collect
or keep information about their users. Otherwise, websites
generally aren’t liable for UGC, whether or not potential
plaintiffs can find the users to sue.
In Malaysia, the owner and operator of one of the largest
Wi-Fi networks in the country, stressed that issues such
as tracking who is responsible for putting up malicious,
defamatory and seditious comments in cyberspace is
essentially a technological issue, and as such, must be
addressed in a technical way.
Bytes for All (B4A) in Pakistan is a human rights
organization and a research think tank with a focus on
ICTs. It experiments with and organizes debates on the
relevance of ICTs for sustainable development and the
strengthening of human rights movements in the country,
with emphasis on gender.
4.4.3 Applying the language of laws against
violence against women to cyber VAWG
In practice, taking a legal approach is often the last resort
for women and is usually available to those with financial
resources and empowered with knowledge through
education. Most VAWG offences go by unreported. A
2014 APC report maps cyber VAW experiences across
seven countries (Pakistan, Colombia, Mexico, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, DRC, Kenya & Philippines) and their
attempts to access justice either through domestic legal
remedy or corporate grievance mechanisms.
“In each country we witness various forms of cyber
violence, and it is evident that the real threat to
women and girls is the double tragedy of lack of
agency and resources victims have in dealing with
the offences committed against them” 2014 APC
Report 101
The report delved into the adequacy and effectiveness of
laws, the culture of impunity, and survivors’ own agency
and power. APC concluded that “…even though the
women interviewed came from a range of socioeconomic
backgrounds and diverse geographical locations, they
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