Technology facilitated sexual violence: a comparative study between working and non-working females in Egypt before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, quarantine measures policies increased Internet usage, leading to technological hazards as technology facilitated sexual violence (TFSV). Aim The current work aimed to assess TFSV among working and non-working Egyptian females before and during COVID-19. Methods The current work is a cross-sectional observational comparative study using an anonymous online questionnaire distributed through social platforms among working and non-working Egyptian females. Results TFSV was reported by 50.3% of the participants; however, regarding some forms of digital sexual violence, there was a significant decrease during COVID-19 lockdown than before it, considering; threatened creation form (7.8%, 12.0%; p = 0.017); non-consensual pornography (31.4%, 51.9%; p < 0.001) and online sexual harassment and cyber-stalking types (80.9%, 89.4%; p < 0.001). Only 17.3% of the study participants knew the identity of the perpetrator. TFSV led 6.4% to abstain from social media, and 3.9% reported the incident to a law agency. Conclusions The current study revealed that almost half of women experienced TFSV. Although time spent on the Internet by the whole participants during the pandemic was significantly higher than before, there was a significant decrease in some types of TFSV. The current study revealed that divorced females working in non-governmental sectors experienced harassment more significantly than others. There is crucial importance to set laws and penalties against perpetrators of TFSV to provide a safe technological environment for women.

Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence and Abuse in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

“…Several studies found that victim-survivors did not report their experiences to the police (Koirala, 2020;Makinde et al, 2021;Sambasivan et al, 2019). In contrast, a study by Zagloul et al (2022), found a small number, 3.9% of respondents (n = 283), reported the incident to the police. However, survivors who reported the incident also noted that they preferred to keep it secret (Alsawalqa, 2021).…”

“…Gender Tandoc et al, 2021;Zagloul et al, 2022). A meme is an image, video, or piece of text that is intended to be sexuallyhumorous and which is copied and spread rapidly by internet users, often with slight variations.…”

“…Physical and/or Rape Threats. Several studies included in the reviews, found that women in the LMICs can face physical harm threats and rape threats through digital technologies, including via phone calls, messaging apps, and social networking sites (Demir & Ayhan, 2022;Koirala, 2020;Kundu & Bhuiyan, 2021;Sambasivan et al, 2019;Sarkar & Rajan, 2021;Tandoc et al, 2021;Zagloul et al, 2022). More than 4% of female respondents (total n = 148) in the study conducted by Hassan et al (2020) reported that they faced threats of physical or sexual violence online.…”

Concern on cyber violence and suicide during COVID-19 pandemic

“…Looking at cyber violence as a form of VAW during the pandemic, a recent study found that almost 25% of respondents frequently observed different forms of cyber violence against women and girls ( 13 ). While cyber violence against women significantly increased during the pandemic ( 14 ), there were few rigorous studies on the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and VAW. Data from those studies consisted mostly of articles published in comments, editorials, and letters from social media, the Internet, and helpline reports.…”

Land use and sexual harassment: A geospatial analysis based on the volunteer HarassMap‐Egypt

“…In their research, many are motivated to prevent or deter such criminal behaviours. Numerous studies have introduced interdisciplinary perspectives that include the psychological, social, medical, and legal components of SHCs (Blackstone et al, 2009; Burn, 2019; Foote, 2016; Lacks et al, 2022; Pryor et al, 1993; Zagloul et al, 2022).…”