3 Survivors of Online Gender Violence share their stories

Editor's note: This article deals with the issue of abuse, sexual harassment and online aggression.At the end of the article you can find support resources.

Online gender violence adopts many different forms, all of them with serious consequences for victims.

This type of violence can consist of anything, from harassment and online harassment, cyberbullyIn social networks or in chat rooms, which can lead to physical sexual assault and sexual exploitation.

Survivors of this type of violence claim to experience an increase in anxiety and stress, loss of concentration in school or work and depression.

Anyone can be a victim of harassment and online abuse, but it is often related to gender and is specifically directed to women and girls.A 2020 International Plan report, which surveyed more than 14.000 girls from different countries, discovered that 58% had had some online harassment experience.

The study discovered that girls and young women of ethnic minorities, or that they have disabilities, or that they identify as LGBTQ+ were more likely to suffer a worse abuse based on their identity as well as their gender.

The World NGO for Gender Equality Equality Now argues that, in many countries, laws do not protect women and girls from online gender violence.They claim a new international standard to better define these crimes, deter the authors and protect the survivors.

In a report published on November 15, Equality already evaluated the laws related to "exploitation and sexual abuse online" (bone) in six countries: Kenya, Nigeria, India, United States, England and Wales.The report offers a panorama of current legal protections in different parts of the world and highlights that often the survivors do not denounce this type of abuse to the police because they think that it will not be taken seriously.

Tsitsi Matekaire, who directs the "End Sexual Exploitation" program of the organization and is one of the main authors of the report, said: "Exploitation and sexual abuse online are harming women and girls from all countries and aregrowing at an alarming pace ".

"To deal with continuous technological advances and cybercrime in the digital age, it is urgent to update national, regional and international laws to protect all people at risk and punish criminals, regardless of where they are," he continued.

As part of the report, the researchers interviewed survivors of different forms of online gender violence and documented their stories.Their stories can be difficult to read, but they help to understand what forms this type of abuse can adopt and how it affects survivors.

Global Citizen participates in the 16 days of activism against gender violence, from November 25 to December 10.You can participate together with our challenge, in which you will perform a simple action every day -such as advocating gender violence in social networks, supporting a business owned by women in your community or starting a conversation with a friend about the violence ofgender- throughout the campaign.You can also support our "demand" campaign every day, acting here.

These are Modupe's stories in Nigeria, Cassie in the United Kingdom and Gibi in the United States, how they were affected by online gender violence and what they want everyone to know.These stories have been slightly edited by their length.

Modupe, Nigeria

Modupe suffered an abuse based on the image, when an intimate photo of his was shared without his consent.

"I was 16 when I started accessing the Internet.A friend introduced me to Facebook and helped me create an account.As soon as I connected I began to receive requests.

I didn't know the first person who contacted me, but we became very friends.We were in contact for about three months and we communicated every day.He asked me personal questions and I answered him;I thought it was a way of knowing us.Over time, he wanted to see a photo and asked me to send him something, so I gave him one of me with clothes.He told me to take the photos without carrying anything on, that it would be better.I was attracted to the idea that what we were doing was fine and that it was only with this person who was united in that way.

I did what he asked me and, after one or two weeks, I began to see that the photo passed and taught other people.I had never seen him face to face and I don't know where I lived, but I started asking if I was close because everyone soon in my school and in my community I knew: my parents, my friends, old or young.I felt very sad and depressed.People always talked about the photos and told me things, bad things, it was very hard.

I went to the police to denounce what happened, but I did not receive any support.The police began to say all kinds of things, to ridicule me and laugh at me.It is evident that they know nothing about sexual exploitation online.They should have investigated the case and send it to higher authorities that could handle it better than them.Instead, the person who did this to me have not faced any consequence ".

Cassie, United Kingdom

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Cassie was deceived through an online chat room and, consequently, was blackmail and sexually attacked.

"We had our first computer when I was about 10 years old, when the chats were very important.You received private messages from people who did not know and had conversations.We never received online security lessons, so we didn't know that people could not be the one to be.

When I was 13, I started talking to someone who said to be a young woman.I asked many questions and I thought I was trying to ask friends."He said he was a model and that I could also be.I didn't stop becoming fulfilled, saying he was pretty.He said he did topless and asked me to send him a photo in topless.I didn't want to do it, but she kept trying to convince me and finally sent her a.

It was then that it began to blackmail me, saying that I would publish my photo in my school and in the area.He told me that his boss wanted to meet with me to take photographs for a model portfolio and asked me for my address.I was terrified, but I didn't feel that I had another option.The next morning, a man came to my house and sexually attacked me and took photos of everything.Although I could have physically remove it, it would make sure that my whole family and my school knew what had happened.That seemed to me the worst in the world.I wasn't going to tell anyone and I thought the police would say he was wasting his time.

I thought it was my fault.I had committed myself to this person online, I had given my direction and had opened the door.I was very angry and anxious, and I began to self -harm.Six months later, the police contacted me: it turned out that this man had committed similar crimes.He declared himself innocent despite the fact that there was evidence that he had contacted young girls and photographic evidence of his crimes.

The case quickly reached the courts because it was already being investigated.They fell seven years for what he did to me, two years for two other victims and two for a previous crime.He had already been in jail for something similar and had given him anticipated freedom.That angered me a lot, I thought: "Why didn't they watch it? Why was he allowed to do this again?".

The support they offered me was very scarce and affected me for 10 years.Police gave us some phone numbers, but nothing more.Depression and anxiety extended throughout my adolescence, and I had two overdose.I did not receive advice until the age of 22.That was when I decided that what had happened did not have to define me and it helped me a lot to have the feeling that justice had been done.Without that, it would have been harder to recover ".

Gibi, United States

Gibi is a youtuber that has about 3.8 million subscribers on its Luncurate Center centered on ASMR.Has suffered abuse by people who use "deepfakes", an image generated by AI to resemble someone.

"My Deepfakes have existed since I started my YouTube channel.I have seen how they have become very good, so that makes me very nervous because I know how fast technology can advance.

The first time I saw an Deepfake, I read about how the computer learns and improves when it comes to matching your face and putting it into something pornographic.Seeing videos is very surreal: people believe it is real.What bothers me is that I have not given my consent for my image to be used that way, they can do it without consequences and feel very violent.I contemplated the possibility of erasing my channel because I felt very overwhelmed.

It is something that I continue working and I do my best to protect my privacy.Have I ever feel sure?The truth is, no.

I used to monitor the Deepfakes until it seemed useless, if you let it consume you will waste your time and that is not what I want.Sometimes people send them to me by email, in plan "Gibi, someone has made porn of you!".I even saw that someone was asking for commissions, earning money with my photos and videos manipulated.They are directing this business, profiting with my face doing something that I did not consent, as if my suffering were their livelihood.I got very angry, but again, there was nothing I could do.

Once, I was approached by a company that took Deepfakes from the Internet, but its prices were exorbitant.Why should I use my money hard to pay them to remove those videos privately?I think legislators and governments are very overwhelmed online, so they let it pass.If someone makes a Deepfake in another country, my country doesn't care because they can't do anything.

For me, justice would not let them be anonymous.It is too easy to get anonymous on the Internet, where security forces do not worry enough to strive to find out who is doing it.

Being a woman on the Internet is difficult due to the lack of surveillance, due to the lack of laws.Putting on the Internet means that you are not protected.It is a choice that I would not have to have to do if I want to continue my career.If someone asks me to be youtuber, it is shit to have to say 'you have to protect you because people are going for you, because this is part of the work' '.And I hate that it is part of the work, it is disturbing and should not be fine ".

If you are affected by any of the problems of this article, you can find support through a series of services internationally.In the United States and in the rest of the world, the Cybersmile Foundation offers support and advice to those who suffer from any type of harassment and online abuse, while Rainn, in the United States, has a 24/7 aid line in 800.656.Hope (4673) for sexual assault survivors.

If you are in the United Kingdom, you can call Childline for free in 0800 1111 if you are under 18 years old, or get in touch with the crisis to obtain free support at any age, in Nigeria the Mirabel center offers free advice to the survivors of aggressionsSexual, and in South Africa the Tears Foundation has a free help line and support for sexual abuse survivors in 010 590 5920.

Women's rights are human rights and must be promoted and protected.In these 16 days of activism against gender violence, from November 25 to December 10, we ask the Global Citizens to join our challenge of #16 days, to carry out a simple action every day that helps them learnmore about women's rights, body autonomy and online gender violence.

You can initiate important conversations with your loved ones, advocate on social networks for the right of women and girls to their own body, support companies owned by women in your community, sign requests to support body autonomy and much more.Discover more about the challenge of #16 days and start acting here.