On the commemoration of the International Day of the Girl on Sunday, October 11, we learned that nearly seven out of 10 girls and young women in the Philippines have experienced harassment online. The number is higher than the global average of 58 percent worldwide.
For the study “Free to be online? Girls and young women’s experiences of online harassment,” Plan International reached out to more than 14,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 24 in 31 countries, including the Philippines.
According to the study, girls from both high- and low-income countries who use social media are subjected to various forms of online danger such as threats of sexual violence, sexual harassment, threats of physical violence, anti-LGBTIQ+ comments, racist comments, body shaming purposeful embarrassment, stalking and abusive and insulting language.
Here at home, 68 percent of respondents report the same. Worse, the incidents happen frequently (50 percent) and very frequently (33 percent), and two thirds of them said the harassment was done by someone they knew.
Before the lockdowns occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, online safety had been a worsening problem for social media users in general, and for girls and young women in particular. They formed part of the population least equipped to protect themselves from harm, fight or resist their abusers, or even be aware they were walking into a trap. In some instances, those who should be protecting them were the very people putting them in harm’s way.
The pandemic aggravated what was already an alarming situation.
People were forced to stay at home, with millions of workers losing their jobs and other sources of livelihood, bringing great economic and psychological toll on families. There was great worry about the spread of the virus. Any meaningful interaction with others was substituted by extended time in front of a tablet screen.
The global survey was done between April 1 and May 5 this year, as various countries were grappling with the initial surge in numbers of coronavirus cases, and girls and young women turned online more than ever in the absence of the opportunity to go out for face-to-face interaction with their peers.
Unfortunately, the effects of online harassment and abuse are far-reaching, staying with the victims long after they have put their devices down. The prolonged consequences affect their psychological well-being, and threaten them outside of their online persona.
Given the uncertainty we continue to face, we need to be reminded that girls and young women need help to ward off online bullies and predators. Parents and teachers can help by telling them about acceptable and unacceptable behavior online.
More importantly, girls and young women must be armed with confidence and knowledge on how to spot and avoid compromising exchanges online, so they can protect themselves and others.