Women’s Equality Party (WE) has launched a social media campaign to support women who suffer internet abuse.
Using the hashtag #CtrlAltDelete WE aim to utilise their eQuality campaign for a better understanding of the online abuse which BME, LGBT+ and disabled women are subjected.
“I am pleased to launch our e-Quality campaign today and take bold steps towards protecting women from violence online,” Women’s Equality Party leader Sophie Walker said.
“Today as WE lay out our policy plans, WE call on all political parties to set aside their differences and work with us to deliver digital legislation that works, so that the Internet is safe and fair for all.”ges to be shared. Currently the law focuses on whether the perpetrator intended to cause distress. The party is also calling for better monitoring and data on online a
Evidence submitted to the Women and Equalities Committee’s inquiry on sexual violence and harassment in schools found that young girls are being pushed into sending sexual images online, in addition to bullying and digital blackmail.
A year ago the UK law criminalised ‘revenge porn’ or image-based sexual abuse, however most cases since have not been charged and nothing has been done to prevent website operators from redistributing and profiting from such images.
WE want to refocus this law on whether the victim gave consent for the imabuse as UK figures are poor. According to WE current data suggests that children as young as 11 are victimised by revenge pornography and that 75-90% of revenge porn victims are women.
Figures released last month from 31 police forces after an FOI request by the BBC revealed that most offences of revenge porn do not result in a criminal charge.
The figures also revealed:
• 1 out of 10 of ex-partners has threatened to post naked images of their exes online. 60% of them carry out the threat
• 93% of victims suffer significant emotional distress
• 49% of victims are harassed or stalked online by someone who saw the material
• At least 3,000 pornography websites around the world feature a revenge porn “genre”.
“WE want victims to have recourse to civil law in order to seek compensation from the perpetrator for the pain and economic harm they have endured and also to seek compensation from website operators who refuse to remove non-consensual pornography,” Walker added.
“WE believe revenge porn is one of the most concerning phenomena in the trend of online abuse against women. By tackling this head on, we can set a new template for dealing with broader online harassment and give victims recourse to justice,” Walker said. “Right now if you are harassed online, the response depends on what the website operator or host has decided is adequate.”
“WE will also be rolling out later this year a nationwide campaign, with the help and contribution of all of our members, to demand mandatory sex and relationships education in all schools in England and Wales, so that we can help our children navigate the reality of their lives online,” Walker said.
“It is simply unacceptable that the government has ruled out something that is so essential to ending violence against women.”
