Methods for reporting online sexual harassment
Yuying Tan, Eva Nave, Heidi Vandebosch, Sara Pabian, Karolien Poels · 2023
The rise of online sexual harassment in recent years has spurred discussions both within the European Union and internationally. To effectively address this issue, it is imperative to foster collaboration among various sectors, including government entities, nongovernmental organizations, educational institutions, media outlets, and technology companies. These sectors collectively develop and implement practical intervention strategies to systematically support individuals affected by online sexual harassment. Notably, social media platforms play a crucial role in addressing this issue. These platforms have implemented measures such as automated content detection and flagging systems, allowing users to report harmful content to moderators. Nevertheless, these measures, on their own, have been proven to be inadequate given the personalized nature of online harassment, which is influenced by factors such as culture, sex, gender, sexual orientation and, generally, the intersectionality of various systems of oppression. Hence, the development of effective user self-reporting systems is imperative. These systems should provide victims with immediate assistance during harassment incidents, promoting a safer online environment, while also enhancing user trust and overall platform satisfaction. The objective of this report is to provide decision-makers both from political bodies and from online platforms with preliminary evidence-based innovative ideas on how to improve the user self-reporting system on social media platforms. Testing the effectiveness of the proposed reporting systems is part of our ongoing research. The authors acknowledge the ongoing debate about the use of the word “victim” as it may be interpreted to mean that those targeted are in a passive state of subjugation. The authors acknowledge also the growing advocacy, especially by members of the civil society, for the use of the word “survivor” as it emphasizes the strength of the people targeted by sexual harassment. However, the authors also note the debated about how this emphasis on strength may burden the targeted community with the obligation to overcome such traumatic experiences. Hence, the utilization of the expression “victims” in this report should be interpreted through this critical lens.