Does speaking up make things worse? How young girls can be better protected from cyber violence

In part II of this news series, EIGE’s research shows that when girls speak up, too often the system fails them — and that platforms and institutions must be accountable for effective prevention and response.

When girls experience cyber violence, the path to help is rarely straightforward or has a promising end result. The new research from EIGE’s report on combatting cyber violence against girls, documents a widespread pattern of silence driven by hard-learned experience.

While some girls in the study spoke of teachers who dismissed their concerns, counsellors who promised confidentiality and then broke it, and police failing to act, others mentioned examples of students being expelled for sharing intimate pictures without consent.

Older girls, aged 16 to 18, were the most skeptical, with some describing school as “the last place to ask for help.” 

Asha Allen’s experience on the frontline means she is unsurprised by this prevailing sense that “the solution lies within us, and not in seeking help.”

“A lot of victims experience re-victimisation, especially when it comes to non-consensual sharing of images,” she says.

“They came across enforcement agencies who say: ‘well, you did share the photo.’ That fundamentally misunderstands where the consent was broken.

“It’s akin to the general experience of women who report gender-based violence in the first place. They don’t often have great experiences with figures of authority.”

Dr Leonie Tanczer agrees but highlights the responsibility of technology companies.

“The question is whether these products have been designed from the get-go with safety by design in mind, and whether anyone has thought about how women and girls might see certain features being misused.”

Platforms: the missing piece of the puzzle

While the new research from EIGE suggests institutions are failing girls, it’s clear that the online platforms are failing them too.