When 58-year-old academic Mary Beard appeared on a television debate earlier this year, she made some comments on the topic of immigration that were clearly against current public opinion. While playing the devil’s advocate on controversial topics never earns you popularity, the reaction to Beard’s comments was disproportionate and extremely sexist.
Through tweets, Facebook posts, online comments and emails, she was sexually and physically threatened.
The viciousness of online trolls is not something she alone has had to suffer. Feminist writers are often attacked by anonymous users and so is the average woman on the internet. According to ‘Take back the tech’, a website trying to make the online environment safer for women, 80 per cent of the victims of online stalking are women. Crimes against women seem to have moved from the street to the internet. And that is the topic we will be debating this week.
If you would like to join the discussion, send us an email at readers@gulfnews.com or post a comment by clicking on the ‘Post comment’ link below.
These are the statements that will be debated:
• Street crimes against women have now moved online.
• Perpetrators of online gender-based crimes should be exposed.
• Men are not doing enough to stop such incidents.
• Anonymity should be banned on the internet.
