What is gender cyberviolence?

Definition (Digital Macho Violence)

Gender cyber violence is the manifestation in the digital environment of violence against women and girls because they are women.

It is not a separate phenomenon, but the continuation of macho violence (threats, control, humiliation) using technology as a tool.

This violence is disproportionately directed at women and girls and aims to silence, humiliate, control and expel them from the digital space. It is based on structural inequality between men and women.

It includes a wide spectrum of aggressions: from harassment by a partner or ex-partner (controlling the cell phone, demanding passwords, stalking) to public harassment by strangers (misogynistic insults, rape threats).

Specific Manifestations of Control and Harassment

Gender-based cyber-violence takes forms that are often not seen in other types of harassment:

Partner Control: this is the most common form in adolescents.

The aggressor (partner or ex-partner) demands social network passwords as "proof of love," constantly monitors location and online activity, prohibits the victim from uploading certain photos or talking to certain guys, and bombards the victim with messages if she does not respond immediately.

It is a form of isolation and coercive control.

Non-Consensual Dissemination of Intimate Images (DNCI): Often called "revenge porn".

It is a gender-specific violence tactic where an ex-partner disseminates intimate material to destroy the woman's reputation (so-called "slut-shaming" or victim-blaming for her sexuality).

Sexual Harassment and Threats: Women, especially those with a public profile (journalists, politicians, gamers, influencers), receive a disproportionate amount of misogynistic trolling, explicit threats of rape, death or doxing (publication of their address).

The Goal: Silence and Expel from Public Space

The ultimate goal of gender-based cyber-violence is to maintain the patriarchal power structure.

It seeks to punish women who "step out of their role": those who speak out, who are visible, who talk about feminism or who simply occupy a digital public space.

Threats and harassment seek to generate enough fear for women to self-censor and, ultimately, close their accounts and abandon public debate.

It is a tool to silence