Debate: Combating gender-based violence: cyberviolence
Date: MONDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2021
Speaker: Sylwia Spurek
Country: Netherlands
Language: EN

These are just examples, quotes, of cyberviolence that I receive on social media platforms every day – and I’ve chosen the more delicate ones so as not to offend you, my colleagues, the President and the Commissioner – and I am obviously not the only one. Fifty—two percent of women and girls have experienced cyberviolence solely since the COVID—19 pandemic started. The numbers are even higher among female politicians, activists, journalists and all other women who participate, or try to participate, in online public debate.  Gender—based cyberviolence is a challenge posed by modernity, but it is at the same time just a new face of an old, well—known enemy: violence against women. In the 21st century in the European Union, gender—based violence is manifesting every day and everywhere. Women cannot feel safe at home, women cannot feel safe in public places and women cannot feel safe on the Internet.  The root causes of gender—based violence in all its forms are the same. These root causes make the cyberviolence that women face very specific and different from the one faced by men: sexist hate speech focused on appearance or private and intimate life, image—based sexual abuse, cyberstalking by a former partner, threats of sexual violence, including rape. These are just examples of gender—based cyberviolence, which make women withdraw from digital, political and social life. It is not only about personal impact, it’s about the quality of our democracy. We simply allow women to be silenced, we allow them to be excluded from public debate.  I have seen the cyber dimension of gender—based violence evolving. As a lawyer, activist and women’s rights defender, I’ve been engaged in combating gender—based violence for over 20 years now. Firstly in NGOs, then in public administration, later as the Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights in Poland and, currently, as a Member of the European Parliament, I’ve always been standing on the side of women and other victims of gender—based violence.  This is why I’ve been honoured to work on the legislative initiative report on gender—based cyberviolence as its co—rapporteur, and I am proud to present it to all of you today. It includes recommendations for measures to be adopted in the areas of prevention, protection, support, reparation of victims, prosecution and criminalisation, as well as data collection and reporting. It stresses that all actions should be victim—centred and have an intersectional approach. Moreover, with regard to personal scope, it covers not only women and girls, but also LGBTQI people, who experience cyberviolence on the basis of their gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.  This report should be a very strong message from the European Parliament to the Commission, emphasising yet again that we do not agree with the Commission’s failure to act against gender—based violence and that we demand specific action. The legislative measures recommended in this report should be included in a comprehensive directive against gender—based violence in all its forms, including cyberviolence. The more precise we make it, the better. It’s about the law, it’s about human rights, it’s about democracy. We need to guarantee that every woman is safe from violence. I would like to thank my co-rapporteur, Ms Vozemberg—Vrionidi, for the collaboration, the Greens advisers and, last but not least, my team, for their work on the report.  To conclude, I would like to address all haters with the words of Maria Peszek from the song ‘Like a Gun’: ‘Words can hurt, words can kill’. Remember, you are responsible for what you are doing.