Cyber violence against women and girls

• In Event: Let's talk about cyberviolence. An approximation with data

Abstract

As it moved online amid the COVID-19 lockdowns, the world faced a global escalation of the negative side of the digital space - cyber violence. Digitalisation not only generated a new environment for different forms of violence to take place, but also created new tools to inflict and amplify harm. Cyber violence has serious psychological, economic and societal consequences: victims tend to withdraw from social media and social interactions, isolating themselves and eventually losing opportunities to build their education, professional career and support networks (GREVIO 2021).
While cyber violence targets both women and men, evidence shows that the female population is highly exposed to this form of violence (EIGE, 2017); it is more likely to be targeted (UN Women, 2020) and to suffer from serious consequences (FRA, 2014). Cyber violence is a part of the continuum of violence against women: it does not exist in a vacuum but stems from and sustains multiple forms of gender-based violence that persist in our societies. However, to date cyber violence has not been fully conceptualised, defined or legislated against, and remains a blind spot in most Member States and at the EU level.

Author

• Cristina Fabre, European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)