Surge in tech-enabled sexual abuse such as 'revenge porn', voyeurism in 2020: Aware

• 2020 saw the most technology-facilitated sexual violence cases since tracking began in 2016, Aware said
• The largest group of survivors of this abuse were aged 18 to 24 and knew the perpetrator
• Telegram, WhatsApp and Instagram were the platforms most frequently used by perpetrators
• Aware launched a new website to give survivors practical information and guidance

SINGAPORE — Cases of technology-facilitated sexual violence, such as voyeurism using devices and “revenge porn”, jumped 36 per cent last year from 2019, according to data released on Wednesday (July 14) by a gender equality advocacy group.

In a press release, the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) said its sexual assault care centre received 191 reports of such abuse in 2020, up from 140 cases in 2019.

Aware added that this was the highest number since tracking of such abuse began in 2016.

The group defines technology-facilitated sexual violence as unwanted sexual behaviour carried out via digital technology — such as digital cameras, social media and messaging platforms, and dating and ride-hailing apps.

This behaviour ranges from explicit sexual messages and calls, and coercive sex-based communication, to image-based sexual abuse — creating, obtaining or distributing sexual images or videos of another person without their consent.

Sexual voyeurism and “revenge porn” are examples of image-based sexual abuse.

The largest group of survivors of this abuse by age group were 18 to 24 and made up 43 per cent of cases where age was disclosed. This is a significant jump from 2017 to 2019 when this category made up fewer than 30 per cent of these cases.

In the majority of cases from 2020 disclosed to Aware's sexual assault care centre, the perpetrator was known to the survivor.

Known perpetrators are typically more common than strangers in such sexual violence cases, and all the more due to reduced encounters with strangers owing to Covid-19 restrictions last year, Aware said.

Intimate partners made up the biggest group, at 36 per cent of cases. This was followed by acquaintances (26 per cent) and contacts made on dating apps (13 per cent).

Other perpetrators included family members, friends and work colleagues.

Aware also said that while these cases involved an aspect of technology, the abuse can occur in offline spaces and take the form of physical or verbal sexual harassment, rape, sexual assault, stalking, public humiliation or intimidation.

Aware president Margaret Thomas said that Aware’s clients have “attested time and again” that the emotional, mental and physical impact of technology-facilitated sexual violence is on par with that of offline abuse.

“It can include anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and suicidal thoughts. What’s more, there are often practical and financial effects: Reputational damage, being forced to deactivate social media accounts, paying for a service to issue take-down requests to platforms, and so on,” she said.

Messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp and social media platform Instagram were the three most common platforms where survivors experienced this sort of abuse, Aware said.

However, only nine cases are known to have sought assistance from the platforms, such as by reporting incidents or seeking the removal of non-consensual material.

In most of these cases, Aware said that survivors were not satisfied with the platforms’ response.

“We’ve seen an explosion in the means with which to perpetrate tech-facilitated sexual violence, but nowhere near a commensurate increase in the mechanisms to counteract it,” said Ms Thomas.

Users seem to have little confidence that platforms care about their well-being, she added.

Ms Thomas said that Aware was cheered by a recent commitment made by Facebook, Google, TikTok and Twitter, with the World Wide Web Foundation, to improve how they handle gender-based violence.

“We hope to soon see this promise bearing fruit,” she said.

LAUNCH OF NEW WEBSITE FOR SURVIVORS

Aware also announced the launch of Solid Ground, a new website that provides practical information and guidance for survivors of technology-facilitated sexual violence.

It was created by Singapore University of Technology and Design researchers Catherine Chang and Holly Apsley, both 24, who won a contest held by Aware in early 2020 to crowdsource initiatives against image-based sexual abuse in Singapore.

The website, developed in consultation with Aware, guides users through steps they can take if they experience online harassment.

Actions suggested on the website will include adjusting privacy settings, collecting evidence and applying for a protection order.

The website will also list support resources in Singapore or online and will reflect changes to social media platforms’ policies over time.

Ms Apsley said that many survivors are "overwhelmed with gathering evidence, making reports, keeping themselves safe, managing their emotions and so on”.

“We hope Solid Ground can be a place where survivors can catch their breath, find their footing and orientate themselves before taking their next steps.”