Wie das europäische Recht Frauen vor Cybermobbing schützt

Sexuelle und sexistische Gewalt ist in den sozialen Netzwerken auf dem Vormarsch. Und Frauen sind besonders gefährdet. Die EU hat Richtlinien und Verordnungen erlassen, um Opfer zu schützen und digitale Plattformen zur Verantwortung zu ziehen. Aber sind sie wirklich wirksam?

Translate

spinner.loading

spinner.loading

  

Threats, insults, distribution of intimate images without consent... Online virtual violence is on the increase. In recent years, women have been particularly affected, as several studies have revealed. According to a 2020 UNESCO report, 58% of girls and young women have been victims of some form of online harassment.

Many of them are content creators. In October 2021, the 29-year-old French streamer Ultia was the victim of cyber-harassment for reporting a sexist situation live. "I hope you get raped when you leave your house, that someone strangles you and smashes your face in," a man, then aged 23, shouted at her during a live stream. Months went by and the hate messages continued.

The video artist decided to file a complaint. Last February, the man was sentenced to 12 months ' imprisonment, six of which were suspended, and two others were suspended by the Paris Criminal Court. His sentence was accompanied by a course to raise awareness of the need to respect people in the digital environment.

"The fight against sexist and sexual violence requires a certain amount of political courage" 

But few cases of online sexist and sexual violence (SGBV) end up in court. The phenomenon, which generally transcends national borders, is difficult to curb. Faced with this scourge In April 2024, the European Commission adopted a directive recognising several forms of online violence, including cyberbullying, revenge porn and hate speech. A roadmap was also published on 7 March 2025 to better protect women from SGBV.

Virtual violence has a very serious impact on the lives of women and victims in general," points out Lucie Daniel, head of advocacy for the feminist association Equipop, before stressing the importance of education and prevention in tackling it. "It's an issue that requires a certain amount of political courage, and that's not always there in European countries".

The European Union can also draw on the support of the Digital Services Act which aims to make platforms more responsible for moderating, regulating and punishing illegal content, including a certain amount of content.