What is online violence?
It is acts of violence that are committed, abetted or aggravated, in part or fully, by the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). This can include mobile phones, the internet, social media and email.
Women and girls subjected to online violence can feel fear, panic, anxiety and depression. It negatively affects victims’ relationships, studies, work and social lives, causing them to withdraw completely from the Internet and social media.
Below are the main five forms of online violence perpetrated against women:
Non-consensual sharing of images: The non-consensual use and sharing of manipulated or real photos to blackmail women in exchange for not exposing intimate images.
Online impersonation: Creating a fake profile and assuming someone’s identity for malicious purposes, including destroying someone’s reputation or threatening their safety.
Cyberbullying: Online harassment, which can include repeated conduct that threatens, scares or abuses women. This can be done by an individual or a large group of online attackers referred to as a cybermob.
Sharing sensitive information: Posting personal and sensitive information including home and work addresses, telephone numbers and family names without permission.
Cyberstalking: Persistent, unwanted and/or threatened surveillance, contact and/or pursuit by technological means. Cyberstalking can turn into offline stalking and vice versa.
Five tips to protect from and prevent cyber violence
Online violence is criminalized in Egypt under Law No. 175 of 2018, Combating Information Technology Crimes.
- Report any act of cyber violence on the National Council for Women’s hotline: 15115.
- Know your legal rights
- Talk to a trusted adult (sibling, parent, family member, teacher) and ask for help
- Do not comply with requests you are not comfortable with
- Do not share any personal or sensitive information with strangers (copy of your ID, bank information, personal photos, etc) and keep them safe on your personal digital files (PC, Phone, cloud)
