EXPOSING THE NEW FACE OF THE OLD ENEMY
Gender-based violence in cyberspace
The development of the Internet, especially social networks, enabled a faster exchange of information and raised communication to a level unimaginable just a few decades earlier. Historically, every civilizational development had its negative side. The speed of development of the cyber or online space has not been accompanied by an equally rapid development of regulations that would make that space safer. That is why in our age we talk more often about cyber-attacks, violence on the Internet, financial and other frauds, hybrid warfare, than about the progressive sides of the online space and the impact on communication and connection.
Gender-based violence in cyberspace (colloquial violence on the Internet) is a topic that has been attracting attention in developed countries for almost the entire two decades of the 21st century. In those countries, strategic documents were prepared, which shape public policies based on data, which also include a gender perspective. Accustomed to galloping, as a transitional society, behind the rest of the world, we deal with this issue sporadically in Montenegro, most often through the efforts of civil society organizations.
At the beginning, let's start from two assumptions: that cyberspace is a real space and that gender-based violence in cyberspace is just an extension of gender-based violence.
It is not necessary to explain the thesis to what extent cyberspace has become real if we put this thesis in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and our lives, which for a long period of time had all the real aspects only if we were "online". In addition, women and girls who experienced physical violence also experienced some form of violence in cyberspace, often from the same person. Also, violence that starts in cyberspace can easily turn into physical violence. Furthermore, the groups of people who are most often subjected to violence in physical space, women, girls, ethnic minorities, the LGBT population, in most cases are also those who experience violence in cyberspace. So, we are talking about the symbiosis of these two spaces and their equal reality when it comes to violence. We are talking about an old enemy and its relatively new face. Although cyber violence is aimed at both men and women, it is precisely women and girls who experience its different and more traumatic forms.
On the other hand, gender-based violence in cyberspace is a structural problem, the nature and incentives of which do not differ from gender-based violence in general. Therefore, gender-based violence in cyberspace is also part of the mechanism of patriarchy that we see in cases of sexual, physical or psychological violence. It happens in a different space, without physical contact, but with strong consequences. It includes acts such as: hate speech in cyberspace, stalking, bullying, identity theft, sexual abuse based on sharing photos and other content, sharing videos without consent, the so-called trolling etc. In other words, we are talking about equally real violence against women and girls as in any other form of gender-based violence. Research by the World Health Organization shows that as many as one in three women experienced some form of violence in cyberspace by the age of 15, most of which went unreported. In Montenegro, we do not have data at the national level (apart from project research at the local level that indicates the prevalence of the problem), however, the assumption I mentioned at the beginning is even stronger if we consider the fact that cases of gender-based violence are rarely reported.
It is necessary to illuminate the "phenomenon" of ignoring in the culture of strategic and legal planning in Montenegro. Namely, the modernization of public policies in Montenegro is still a phenomenon per se, a new "imposed" obligation or even a "European invention". However, looking at the gender perspective when planning any public policy is a need and necessity that aims to have an equal impact and ensure equal benefits of the specific policy for both men and women. Ignoring, on the other hand, is not a phenomenon, but a very used mechanism. That is why today we hardly have any examples of strategic documents or laws that contain a thorough analysis of the gender aspect and are based on relevant data segregated on the basis of gender. It would be called elemental planning. In this (non)culture of planning, which should be aimed at the interests of every citizen, it is difficult to expect legal solutions and strategic documents that will have a gender perspective in the area of regulating violence in cyberspace. The use of policies and legal solutions means that, on the basis of reliable data and conducted research, the impact of a specific policy or law on the position of women in particular and men in particular is clearly indicated. For the sake of illustration, legal solutions concerning labor relations, health insurance, should also contain an assessment of the impact of legal solutions on women in order to influence the reduction of the gender gap. Unfortunately, the institutional support for such a process is not at the required level and relies on sporadic cases of certain authorities within the public administration system.
Finally, it is important to point out the consequences and connection of gender-based violence in cyberspace with the protection of human rights. The reality of this type of violence against women and girls is also indicated by the serious consequences that such violence causes: emotional stress, loss of status, inability to advance professionally, loss of self-confidence and self-esteem, reduction of productivity, withdrawal from public life, invasion of privacy, and even suicide. So, we are talking about consequences for mental and physical health and endangering life. In addition, it is important to be aware of the aspect of the so-called digital durability. This kind of violence permanently marks a woman's identity in cyberspace, knowing that in the endless sea of content on the Internet, each segment remains stored somewhere and is almost impossible to permanently remove. This is an aspect that points to long-term consequences for a woman who has experienced this form of violence. In the context of the protection of human rights, all of the above-mentioned consequences directly undermine freedom of speech, the right to equal participation in public life, the right to private and family life, while in the most severe form, cyber violence also undermines protection against discrimination and violence.
When we talk about the consequences, it is important to emphasize the connection between the perpetrator's behavior and tactics, motivation, and ultimately the impact of such behavior. To illustrate, a journalist who runs a feminist blog where she publishes stories about the vulnerability of women in various spheres of social life receives threatening comments (behavior or tactics of the perpetrator) every day from several people on social networks where she promotes her stories. The comments are predominantly aimed at silencing and preventing further publication of that content (motivation of the perpetrator). As a result, we have a woman who decides to shut down her blog, delete her social media accounts and quit her job (influence). The example is an illustration aimed at assembling a picture of violence in cyberspace and is part of an example of a methodology for monitoring violence in cyberspace developed by the International Center for Research on Women.
Our goal was to point out that gender-based violence in cyberspace is not a popular catchphrase in the European Union, nor a fun pun, nor are they just words. We are talking about real, very widespread and minimally regulated violence against women and girls, with serious consequences for the health and status of the individual. Conducting research at the national level would give a more complete picture of the prevalence of the problem and its causes. Such a step would provide the legislators with a foundation for the preparation of legal solutions on the regulation of violence in cyberspace with a clear gender perspective. Further, implementing such a process would encourage gender-based planning of public policies, which would also make those solutions that regulate our daily lives based on relevant and reliable data in order to reduce the gender gap in Montenegro.
The article was created within the project "A step towards gender equality: The fight against digital gender-based hate speech and violence", which is implemented by the Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI), and is financed by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights of Montenegro. The author of the article is Marko Savic, MSc, PhD student and teaching associate at the Faculty of Political Sciences, University of Montenegro.