In the continuity of our work on violence against women, we have addressed the topic of cyberviolence because we consider the internet to be a part of public space. Online violence is widespread. For some women, it has become an inevitable consequence of their being on social media. Just take a look at their Β« Others Β» messages [message requests from strangers on Facebook Messenger] which are filled with what are more or less indecent propositions.
There are also strangers who have been added to the Β« friends Β» list. With those, it all starts with the repetitive Β« Hi, how are you? If we ignore or reject these, they turn into vulgar insults Β», year-old Roua told Nawaat. While some women deal with harassment from strangers who have been added to their social networks, others are confronted by acquaintances, in which case the discomfort is even more difficult.
You respond politely to his greetings, then he invites you to go out with him. You gently decline, but he keeps coming back. You ignore his messages to no avail. You get the impression that he is watching you. In other cases, you are having a normal conversation with someone and all of the sudden it turns into sexual insinuations. For some women, just expressing themselves freely on social media about public interest issues draws personal attacks.
Politically active on Facebook, Sonya says that she sometimes receives threats. The lynching of women who express themselves freely on social media, of activists or female politicians, aims to erase women from public space ,.
Harassment on social media can take on a more harmful form towards threats of a sexual nature. I responded naturally, believing that it was her, but it turned out to be a man. He ordered me to undress and turn on the camera or else he would share naked photos of me on Facebook. I was afraid that he might share photoshopped images. It was horrible. I was in tears. The next day, my friend told me that her account had been hacked Β», she recalled.
