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Zoe Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian, and Randi Harper were among a number of individuals that were brought in to speak to the United Nations this past week about online abuse and the harassment of women.
A few Tweets sent out by Google Ideas and Sarkeesian broke the news that this was happening (see bottom of this post).
The talk yesterday by the group of women begins around the 1:20:10 mark in the Launch of the Broadband Working Group on Gender Report by the UN. Part of the presentation included a report (see ), with the following highlights.
The report presented argues that enforcement of rules that ban cyber violence against women and girls (VAWG) will help to ensure a safer Internet not just for women and girls but also, by extension, a safer place for men and boys.
Zoe Quinn is a game developer that was attacked and threatened after lies were spread by her ex. She has helped to create a private network, Crash Override Network, to help those who are victims of online harassment. Anita Sarkeesian is the creator of Tropes vs. Women in Video Games, a common target for abuse and threats. Randi Harper is the creator of GGAutoBlocker, a tool many people have used to automatically block Twitter users that meet certain criteria. These women, and many of those in attendance with them, have been the constant target of abuse and threats for years, notably in the past year from GamerGate.
A few Tweets sent out by Google Ideas and Sarkeesian broke the news that this was happening (see bottom of this post).
The talk yesterday by the group of women begins around the 1:20:10 mark in the Launch of the Broadband Working Group on Gender Report by the UN. Part of the presentation included a report (see ), with the following highlights.
Key findings:
• An estimated 73 per cent of women have already been exposed to, or have experienced, some form of online violence.
• Women in the age range of 18 to 24 are uniquely likely to experience stalking and sexual harassment in addition to physical threats.
• Nine million women in the European Union’s 28 countries alone have experienced online violence as young as 15 years old.
• One in five female Internet users live in countries where harassment and abuse of women online is extremely unlikely to be punished.
• In many countries women are reluctant to report their victimization for fear of social repercussions.
• Cyber VAWG puts a premium on emotional bandwidth, personal and workplace time, financial resources and missed wages.
Key recommendations:
• Sensitization – Preventing cyber VAWG through training, learning, campaigning and community development to promote changes in in social attitudes and behavior.
• Safeguards – Implementing oversight and maintaining a responsible Internet infrastructure through technical solutions and more informed customer care practices
• Sanctions – Develop and uphold laws, regulations and governance mechanisms to deter perpetrators from committing these acts.
• An estimated 73 per cent of women have already been exposed to, or have experienced, some form of online violence.
• Women in the age range of 18 to 24 are uniquely likely to experience stalking and sexual harassment in addition to physical threats.
• Nine million women in the European Union’s 28 countries alone have experienced online violence as young as 15 years old.
• One in five female Internet users live in countries where harassment and abuse of women online is extremely unlikely to be punished.
• In many countries women are reluctant to report their victimization for fear of social repercussions.
• Cyber VAWG puts a premium on emotional bandwidth, personal and workplace time, financial resources and missed wages.
Key recommendations:
• Sensitization – Preventing cyber VAWG through training, learning, campaigning and community development to promote changes in in social attitudes and behavior.
• Safeguards – Implementing oversight and maintaining a responsible Internet infrastructure through technical solutions and more informed customer care practices
• Sanctions – Develop and uphold laws, regulations and governance mechanisms to deter perpetrators from committing these acts.
The report presented argues that enforcement of rules that ban cyber violence against women and girls (VAWG) will help to ensure a safer Internet not just for women and girls but also, by extension, a safer place for men and boys.
Zoe Quinn is a game developer that was attacked and threatened after lies were spread by her ex. She has helped to create a private network, Crash Override Network, to help those who are victims of online harassment. Anita Sarkeesian is the creator of Tropes vs. Women in Video Games, a common target for abuse and threats. Randi Harper is the creator of GGAutoBlocker, a tool many people have used to automatically block Twitter users that meet certain criteria. These women, and many of those in attendance with them, have been the constant target of abuse and threats for years, notably in the past year from GamerGate.