Online Sexual Violence
Online sexual violence can be any type of harassment, exploitation or abuse that uses an online space or digital technology to intimidate, humiliate or coerce someone. Sexual assault, cyberstalking, image-based abuse (also known as ‘revenge porn’) and sexual extortion are all forms of online violence. These can be used as a form of control and manipulation often in tandem with other forms of sexual violence.
Image-based abuse is when a person shares, or threatens to share, an intimate image or video of someone without their consent. Intimate images include a person in a sexual context:
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Engaged in a sexual activity
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The genital/anal region of a person (both nude or covered by underwear, and the breasts of a person if the person is female), or
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Private activity such as getting undressed
An image may be a photograph, a drawing, or digitally generated.
Online sexual harassment means any form of unwanted sexual contact or comments online. Examples of this include:
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Repeated sexual requests such as nudes
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Online bullying specifically targeting another person’s sexual behaviour or identity.
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Sending sexual content to another person without their consent.
Sexual extortion is a type of image-based abuse weaponizing intimate images in order to manipulate or blackmail someone. Demands may include:
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Payment
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More intimate images
This is also a common tactic used by abusive partners to gain control, often demanding you:
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Do something (such as be in a relationship with them), or
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Stop doing something (such as stop spending time with friends)
Cyberstalking is the intentional and repeated use of digital technology to track or harass another person in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened. Behaviour can include:
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Repeated contact by calling, emailing, or messaging
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Repeatedly sending, posting or sharing unwanted sexual requests, sexual or offensive content or comments
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Posting or sharing false accusations about someone
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Accessing someone’s online accounts to find their personal information, track their location, or read their emails/messages
Digital Abuse in our Daily Lives
Digital harassment and abuse are still a relatively new threat, with response and support services struggling to keep up. Technology is now involved in every aspect of our lives, both personal and professional, and this grants unfettered access to people, following them from the workplace into their homes.
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Like many other forms of casual harassment, younger generations are made to feel as though it is simply a part of life, one more thing to expect and shrug off. Too many acts of sexual violence online are normalised and not taken seriously, creating what feels like a ‘safe’ barrier for perpetrators to continue without fear of consequences. It is important to remember, if someone has shared an intimate image or video with one person, it does not mean there has been established consent for that media to be distributed, and doing so can be considered a crime.
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Online sexual abuse is influenced by the same attitudes and beliefs that lead to sexual violence to be committed in person. It may begin with hiding behind a screen, simply until confidence grows.
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Technology-based abuse is also commonly used in tandem with domestic, family and sexual violence, as another form of control and manipulation. Tracking locations, limiting social reach, and monitoring messages and conversations are all forms of abusive control.
