ONLINE HARASSMENT A TOOL FOR GBV

Many years after we left secondary school we decided to found an ex students association to continue our friendship ties of old. We created a whatsapp group where we can share ideas and do things for our alma matter.

We did a lot of contributions and carried out projects in our former school with pride. There was no stratification or difference in levies for both males and females so far as levies are concerned.

We enjoyed this cordial relationship until it was time to vote some members into the executive bureau. A statement was made that women are not eligible because they are too committed with home keeping. One sister challenged that by saying it was an online association with virtually everything being done online so she feels just anyone can do whatever.

Though it was unanimously agreed that just anyone can run for the election, hard truths about gender based discrimination fanned by online harassment were not considered by the few ladies who dared to stand for the election.

Considering the fact that we left school many years back, one of the conditions during the campaigns was for every candidate to post a picture of themselves for people to clearly remember them. What a weapon freely given to online harassers. Under the picture of a lady one could find comments like “you look sexy”, “can I have fun with you to night?” “you don’t look beautiful I am really disappointed?” “your waist, lips or breasts make me go crazy” and many more. These comments which I am still to comprehend its relationship to being an executive member, made some real good leaders back out of the election.

There was these two courageous ladies who didn’t bother about the comments and continued with the election process. Oooohhhhh how low online harassers can go? People whom I suspect to be members of our online chat group attacked and intimidated these ladies on their private lines. They threatened them with gang raping them in other to test their strength as leaders. They even dragged their children into it. The most degrading was the fact that their personal life and pictures was now being used on the forum to discredit them. These pictures and more went viral with a lot of blackmailing and scandals in a bit to spite their person as well as leadership abilities.

This story above is common in many communities. I wonder what the situation will be if these kinds of online harassments were not common especially on women. Will there have been many women in top ranking positions especially in politics? Can an online community for women like WorldPulse be useful to help women fight these vices?

I envision a society where online harassment will be a thing of the past since women would have mastered a lot of tips on online safety as well as many organizations coming in to fight these online harassers. Online harassment is a tool in gender based discrimination so women beware and be warned.