Online Sexual Harassment (OSH) – Can You Get Sexually Assaulted Online?

Often, when we receive “nudes” or “online harassment”, we are told to “just block them”. We question ourselves, our content, and our privacy. Did I share too much? Am I posting inappropriate pictures or content? Did I lead the person on? And because it is online, the answers will never be clear, and everything disappears once the person is blocked!
Well, that’s not always true .. Let’s talk about what it means to be sexually assaulted online.

What is Online Sexual Harassment?

Online sexual abuse can be any type of sexual harassment, exploitation, or abuse that takes place through screens (technology) (National Sexual Violence Resource Center)
There are many signs of online sexual harassments, let’s look at some of them: 

• Sending someone unwelcome communication about sex or hateful comments based on sex gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.
• Unwanted sexual behaviour through screens (Technology). This could be through games, messaging apps, social media platforms, and in public commenting or private messaging. 
• Use images, videos, posts, messages, pages, memes, emojis.
• Gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and/or sexual coercion.
• Any sharing of sexual content without consent. 
• Sexual acts on webcam without consent. 
• Sharing private images with the public without consent, posting them on social media, porn websites, and so on. 

Let’s look at some terms that are common with the online world:

Grooming

Someone that builds a relationship online with the intention of tricking a person and pressuring them or forcing them into doing something sexual. This can be pressuring them to send videos or pictures of the person that contain sexual content. Other terms can be “catfishing”. Some groomers pretend to be someone else, offer gifts and money, promises marriages and “future dreams”. Groomers use the trust to start sexualizing conversations, use pictures and content as form of blackmailing, and avoid phone and video calls.

Sexting and Sextortion

The use of your pictures or videos to threaten you and manipulate you. This can happen with someone you know, someone you trusted, friends, ex-partners, and online groomers. Definition of sextortion is the “practice of extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity” (Oxford Dictionary).

Capping

Capping is when someone video tapes you or screen records you during any sexual activity and uses it against you as a form of blackmailing, shares it on platforms, porn websites, and/or social media without your knowledge or consent.

Revenge Porn

Revealing sexually explicit images or videos of an individual without their knowledge or consent on the internet and websites such as porn and social media, as a revenge, in order to distress, humiliate, and cause embarrassment to the victim.

Cyberstalking

Just like stalking, cyberstalking occurs online, and it is the repeated use of technology and virtual communication to harass, threaten, frighten, and manipulate someone. This can be done through emails, texts, private messages on social media, and so on.

How can online sexual harassment impact you?

You might feel violated, objectified, taken advantage of, stressed, and in crisis. Often individuals who experience online sexual harassment feel anxious, depression, fear for their reputation, fear of public, mistrust in others, and hopeless. With online sexual harassment, predators often re-appear as they can create new accounts, which can be cause damage to the victim, their security and safety, and feel powerless. Just like other assaults, online sexual harassment can leave lasting impact on a person’s mental health.

What do to do?

• Protect your platforms and identity online: Limit your contact, make secure passwords, limit who can message you and who you interact with. 
• Use privacy settings: Turn off location, don’t share personal information, limit who can view personal information, use the “Block” button if your instincts tell you so. 
• Documentation: Document all incidents, date, time, names of accounts, screen record account details, and keep a record of everything that occurs in the case you need to report it. 
• Tell: Tell someone you trust, family member, a friend, a social worker, a co-worker, or seek professional advice when in a situation. 
• Report: Report abusive behaviors to platforms before blocking them, this way they can’t do it to someone else. Seek help with law enforcements or agencies in your area.  

*Reminder: Online Sexual Harassment does not discriminate, although certain genders or populations have higher rates of online harassment/assault, does not mean that others are not victims of it. 

Remember, the internet is our new world now. If this happened to you or someone you know, please reach out to your local agencies and law enforcements for advice and support. This can be harmful and no, it is not your fault!