Despite our constant harping about women’s safety, how safe do women actually feel in society these days, be it when they’re out in public or even online? To just get a short glimpse of what the women in our country go through on a daily basis, have a read at this article where Malaysian women from different walks of life share their traumatising experiences.
With the development of technology, violence against women online has been on a rampage now more than ever. On a frequent basis, we see news about various groups on platforms such as Telegram, Reddit, and those alike, that spread private pictures and videos of women without their consent, some even underage. Whenever a situation like this happens, everyone’s initial reaction seems to be to blame the women instead of blaming the men for leaking those pictures.
Recently, Internet Removals, an organisation that intends to help victims of cyberspace abuse, reached out to WORLD OF BUZZ and shared one such situation they had to deal with when a Malaysian woman’s ex decided to take revenge on her by sharing her non-consensual intimate pictures on Telegram which then spread like wildfire to other online platforms. In order to move on with her life, she had to move to another state and change her name.
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She tried to request help from the police and lawyers but there was only limited help that could be provided. Frustrated, the woman then reached out to Internet Removals. Jennifer Lee* (name has been altered for privacy purposes) from the company spoke to WORLD OF BUZZ and explained that in Internet Removals, they provide solutions like online content removal, content monitoring, review management, and others.
“Since the pandemic, we constantly receive enquiries to remove online content related to online sexual harassment. With the delay of the Sexual Harassment Bill in Malaysia, the hope these victims have has continued to diminish during this difficult time.”
In order to remove online content, they assist their clients to petition to Google or the source based on legal principles. If they believe the content is in any way false, misleading, defamatory, infringing, or illegal, Internet Removals believe that they have grounds to assist the victims for removals. Apart from that, they provide other solutions such as content monitoring, review management, and others to maintain an individual or company’s online reputation.
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The pandemic also saw an increase in “revenge porn” uploaded online for defamation just because some were unhappy with the victims or wanted to get back at them. This even led to some of the victims having suicidal thoughts. Internet Removals aims to urge online platforms like Telegram, Twitter, and others to act and have stricter control in allowing this kind of content to be posted on their platforms.
“We also hope to create awareness so that government or politicians realise the seriousness of online sexual harassment and to prompt them in enforcing law for online sexual harassment.”
If you’ve ever been victimised by your pictures being shared online without your consent, make sure to reach out to Internet Removals here and they will assist you every step of the way.
Kudos to Internet Removals for helping victims of cyber sexual abuse. Let us know what you think about this!
Also read: Women’s Day Is Once A Year But Women Feel Unsafe In Public Every Day
