Online harassment and violence against women and girls has toxic and “alarming” impacts on victims, including “stress, anxiety, or panic attacks,” low self-esteem, loss of sleep and reduced participation online. This is according to new research by Amnesty International (AI) that found twenty-three percent of women surveyed had experienced some form of online abuse, with more than forty percent of these women saying the harassment caused them to fear for their physical safety or their family’s safety. Of particular concern, AI noted that “as offline discrimination and violence against women have migrated into the digital world, many women are stepping back from public conversations, or self-censoring out of fear for their privacy or safety.”
To compile its report, AI surveyed women from the US, New Zealand, the UK, and five countries in Europe. Women in the US reported the highest rate of online abuse, at thirty-three percent.
Compiled from: Amnesty Reveals Alarming Impact of Online Abuse Against Women, Amnesty International (November 19, 2017).