The internet and social media have undeniably become one of the most important parts of our lives. According to the report by Statista, almost 4.66 billion people [59%] of the global population were found as active internet users as of October 2020 and it is estimated that there will be an increase in this as the years will pass. [1]
According to the internet world stats, there was about 55% population on the internet and Nepal stood with 35% of the internet penetration in January 2020. [2]
However, with more internet users, the rate of online crimes including online sexual harassment, abuse, cyber crimes has been also boosted its pace. Especially the targets range from girls, women, different racial identities, people with different education levels, disabilities, and sexual and gender identities. The internet has become an unsafe place for these target groups mostly where they have to face the dread of encountering unexpected crimes and problems online.
Research conducted by Plan International in 2020, with more than 14,000 girls participants across 31 countries across multiple continents had some evident results regarding Online Harassment. The findings of this research portrayed the scenario of the extensive spread of online harassment among the girls. It showed that 58 percent of girls surveyed have experienced some form of online harassment among which 24 percent, about one in four girls, who have been harassed left feeling physically unsafe, 42 percent lose self-esteem or self-confidence,42 percent feel mentally or emotionally stressed. Among them, 42 percent of girls who identified themselves as LGBTIQ+ and have faced harassment, said that they get harassed because of it. [3]
In Nepal, referring to the present context, research was conducted in Kathmandu Valley among 382 young women students [15- 24 years age groups from different colleges and (or) universities representing (+2) levels and bachelor levels in equal proportion. The research revealed that 66.5% of respondents reported exposure to online sexual harassment at least once, in their lifetime, most of the respondents (73.2%) were exposed to online sexual harassment multiple times (more than once or twice). [4] This clearly shows that girls and women are facing a high level of insecurity on the internet where they have been obliged to suppress their freedom of expression and rights.
Where the internet has been thought of as a part of development and has enormously been in use during the COVID-19, yet the darker sides of the internet insecurities have proliferated in the lives of the people, especially the girls and women. It has even manifested a bleaker side from a gender lens towards the already marginalized groups including young girls who remain voiceless due to the patriarchal social structures and the LGBTI community.
Online media- a medium to perpetuate violence among young girls and marginalized groups. Online violence however is not a new issue in Nepal, yet it had and has been remaining hidden under the blindfolds of society.
In Nepal, Cyber Bureau has reported about 5,574 cases of online harassment within the period of 4 years [2016-2020], 373 cases filed only in April-June, 2020. However, the realistic representation has been hugely presenting as the gap. The target groups including the girls and women have hardly been able to present about their internet safety, mainly because of the victim-blaming, stereotype perception existing yet in the societies. Also, the policies and laws have not been very progressive in addressing cybercrimes- a reason for most cases being unknown , unaddressed and unreported. The law states that a report must be filed within thirty-five days of the occurrence of offense, thus making most cases go unreported. And most online violence that is reported is settled out of court, thus leading to perpetrators being rarely punished. [5]
There needs to be more awareness among the people and the target groups regarding the internet. The campaigns like #NOTANYMORE, #METOO [6] , in support to spread awareness have been at a level successfully been able to spread the awareness. The cases of ‘The Locker Room case from India’ which had been very virulent, pulled off the veneer from such existing cases even in nooks and corners of online media in Nepal.
The Government should rise to create an enabling and safe environment to access essential services, response plans, and strategies to deal with the issues related to the online media. Especially for the young girls and the marginalized communities, there must be provisions from social, legal aspects keeping in mind the mental, social and physical well-being as well. The efforts have been initiated through different NGOs, INGOs as well but yet it has not been enough to address the issue and reach the realistic target groups including the young girls and minorities. The lack of technical awareness remains a barrier to creating a safe space online which we can tackle with collaborative efforts of the public, government, and other associated private institutions and organizations. It is important to realize the seriousness of the issue of online crimes and violence which is harming the lives of the younger generation especially the young girls. Thus, it is our responsibility as well to reflect and take action for the betterment of us and the young girls and marginalized communities.
References
1. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-global-digital-overview
2. https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.html
3. https://plan-international.org/file/46061/download?token=pH3r4scC
4. https://www.grin.com/document/305565
5. https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Online-violence-against-women,2915