AS we celebrate 25 years of Internet this week. It is a profound reflection on how this invention has transformed to govern the essence of the human race. Social media has taken over the way people communicate. It has become a way of life for many people.
Perhaps the first and last thing we do in a day is to look at our newsfeed. According to the Internet World Statistics (IWS, 2015), the percent penetration of the internet in Fiji is 41.8per cent, which means 380, 125 people use the internet in Fiji. Of this, 98.12per cent have a Facebook account followed by Pinterest (1.12 per cent), Twitter (0.47 per cent) and Tumblr (0.11 per cent). (Statistics Monkey, 2015)
With these trends there is no disputing that we are in any way digitally segregated from the rest of the world. In fact our trends are uniform with the global trends of: 72 per cent men are users of social networking sites; 76 per cent women are users of social networking sites.
It was interesting to see questions relating the use of the internet being asked during the Public Judging of contestants in the Hibiscus 2016. One of which was around the vulnerabilities and risks that young people particularly students face when exposed to the internet.
In the past year there have been notable incidences whereby internet use and particularly social media has been used as a catalyst for crime: The Fiji Times, April 2 2015, Girl commits suicide after being bullied in school based on social media messages; Fiji Times, July 13, 2015, 22-year-old woman threatened and raped by a man she met on Facebook; Fiji ONE News, October 13, 2015, 44-year-old man produced in Sigatoka Magistrates Court for three counts of rape and pornographic activity; The Fiji Times, January 9, 2016, Man charged with one count of rape that occurred after contact information was shared over Facebook; Fiji ONE News, January 18, 2016, Police investigate viral sex video believed to be from Labasa.
These are some reported cases that has demonstrated the vulnerabilities that exist with using the internet and social media.
Cyber violence is an online behaviour that leads to assault against the well-being of an individual. So who am I and what are my stakes with cyber violence?
Well I describe myself as an average working-class young woman, living in the suburbs of Suva in the shelter of my family. I love to doodle, paint and read. I adore people and all that comes with humility. Having lived abroad and in many parts of Fiji as well as travelled for education and work — I have friends, family and acquaintances all over the world. Social media is my version of staying connected. In fact my Trans-Pacific and Tasman family has an online Family Information page to keep us all in sync. I signed into my first email ID when I was 13 and my Facebook account at 15. The internet has been part of my growing up in this past decade. I was just another teenager and later young adult trying to adapt to the cyber-space. Eighty-five per cent of women say that the internet provides them with more freedom. Perhaps as teenager I did experience freedom through the internet. Now I reflect and feel lucky to have parents who were as adapt to the new age as I was. Until I was 18 all my gadgets were subscribed under parental control and I was only allowed to use public domains in school and the public library.
Of course I thought it was uncool especially when my laptop was confiscated for a week at 16 for breaching the “Facebook Use Agreement” that my father had created! After 18 social media use has been a roller coaster – there are celebrated times but there is also hurt. I have felt bullied, stalked and unsafe online. I sometimes didn’t even know what to call or name whatever was happening online — without an explanation; I was lost in a quagmire of emotions. I knew I was violated. Sexually charged messages and comments from strangers. Sexual and cultural stereotypes being loosely thrown as comments made me feel vulnerable and compromised in the public eye.
Seventy-three per cent women were abused online and women are 27 times more likely to be abused online than men. As a matter of fact, women aged 18-24 are at heightened risk of cyber violence.
The United Nations Broadband Commission 2015 report ‘Cyber Violence against Women and Girls’ stated that “Cyber-VAWG is emerging as a global problem with serious implications for societies and economies around the world.
The statistics pose risks to the peace and prosperity for all enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, and, in particular, to the goals of inclusive, sustainable development that puts gender equality and the empowerment of women as key to its achievement.”
While cyber violence is a reality that many of us face, there are some great initiatives online that provide support on dealing with cyber violence. ‘Take Back the Tech’ is a global initiative online that provides information, support and strategies on cyber violence against women and girls.
Locally, ‘Take Back the Street- Facebook Page’ which was created by a group of feminists to address eve teasing on Fiji Streets has also evolved into a similar space as to the global ‘Take Back the Tech.’
In Fiji we also have a dedicated Cyber Crimes Unit with the Fiji Police Force that investigates cases associated with the internet. These are just some organized platforms but one can take personal precautions like only befriending or adding people that you “actually” know (At least that’s been my motto). I am a young woman who actively uses social media, who wants to feel safe whilet being connected to the world.
I recognise social networking as a place to interact and not for crime. A place to learn about peace, human rights and the self and not to hate, create war and self-harm. So let’s take back the tech and use it to make a better world!
* Menka Goundan is a Research Officer with the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement. She has worked as a researcher in Fiji since 2012. The views expressed here are hers and not of this newspaper.