Online sexual violence

Duration of activity: 90 min

Learning objectives:

Young people to identify healthy behaviours vis-à-vis various manifestations of sexual violence in the digital world

Understand how attitudes about online sexual violence are often normalized and bypassed

Explore how young people can explore their sexuality using online means and new technologies in a safe and consensual environment

Materials needed:

Handouts of the scenarios- one for each participant
Flipchart paper, markers
Preparation: Prepare beforehand four flipchart papers with the following titles and place them in four corners of the room
- How can we have a safe sexual life online?
- How online sexual violence be prevented?
- What may prevent a person who has experienced online sexual violence (non-consensual pornography, revenge porn, sextortion, sexualized bullying etc.) to seek support?
- What can you do if you have experienced online sexual violence?

Recommended prior reading:

Step by step process of the activity: (55 min for part 1, 35 min for World Cafe)

Divide the plenary in triads.
Give out the handout of the different cases studies to each small group. All small groups will discuss all the scenarios in the handout.
Invite them to read the scenarios and to discuss whether or not they believe that each scenario represents a heathy behaviour or case of online sexual violence. Ask them to justify their answer for each scenario. They have 20min for reading the scenarios and for the discussion between them.
You can go around the groups while they are working, observing the discussions and probing them further of additional aspects to consider while making their decisions.
Once the groups complete their discussions, invite them to come back to plenary.
Open the discussion by starting with the first scenario on the handout and asking them what they think about it and why. Move on to the next scenario and so on. Explore some possible reasons why some groups have different opinions on what constitutes a harmful incidence or not. (20 min)
Wrap up the discussion of the scenarios, asking the following questions (10 min)
- How was this activity for you? What made a particular impression on you?
- Do you remember different forms of online sexual violence that we identified in the scenarios (non-consensual pornography, sextortion, revenge porn, sexualized bullying, cyberbullying on the grounds of SOGIESC, unwanted sexualization, coercion and threats etc.)
- Were there forms of violence that were not so easy to identify?
- Why do you think it is sometimes difficult to identity online behavioursas unhealthy/risk or as abusive?
- Do you think it is more difficult to identity online sexual violence than the violence that takes place offline?
After the various scenarios have been discussed, you can wrap up by presenting the different types of sexual violence (as presented in the theoretical section above) -5 min
Before going to the next part (World café on the wall) start by asking the following question as a trigger:
- Do you think that young people should or should not try to explore their sexuality using online apps/new technologies to do so?
Even though there are various risks in how sexual encounters can take place online, at the same time young people in this time and age live a large part of their lives online and have every right to explore their sexuality using online means. The important thing is to explore how a person who decides to explore their sexuality online can do so consensually and safely. We would now go to the next part of our exercise, where we will explore how we can have a safe sexual life online and what young people can do if they have experienced online sexual violence
Divide the plenary into 4 small groups. Explain that each group will go to one of the ‘stations’ in the room , where the flipcharts are located and answer the question on the flipchart. They have 10 minutes to think of possible suggestions and write them down on the flipchart, leaving some room for other people to also comment.
The four stations are the following:
- How can we have a safe sexual life online?
- How online sexual violence be prevented?
- What may prevent a person who has experienced online sexual violence (non-consensual pornography, revenge porn, sextortion, sexualized bullying etc.) to seek support?
- What can you do if you have experienced online sexual violence?
Once their 10 minutes are up, they will rotate from station to station in a clockwise manner. They have 3-5 minutes to build on the suggestions already provided in the new station. They then move to the 3^rd station and then the 4^th station , spending a maximum of 5 minutes to add on the suggestions provided.
Once the groups have finished going around the stations, ask them to go back to the first station they started from and present it in plenary (10-15 min)

Take home messages and activity wrap up:

The different scenarios represent both healthy, risky and unhealthy/abusive situations as follows:

Scenario 1: revenge porn (regardless of the fact that the pic is not identifiable)
Scenario 2: Non-consensual pornography and risky behaviour because the best friend can share it
Scenario 3: Sextortion
Scenario 4: healthy online behaviour because privacy is respected, it is consensual and a common understanding is reached
Scenario 5: Even though not showing the face and using snapchat are positive online behaviours, this story still reflects coercion and that meaningful consent is not present
Scenario 6: risky behaviour because an accident can happen and the pics can end up in the wrong ‘eyes’
Scenario 7: Non-consensual pornography: sharing professional webcam work without consentScenario 8: This is a case of sexualized bullying and in particular ‘doxing’
Scenario 9: Sexualized bullying
Scenario 10: healthy/positive online behaviour
Scenario 11: Threats, blackmailing, sextortion
Scenario 12: Risky behaviour because there was no meaningful consent
Scenario 13: healthy/positive online behaviour because precautions for privacy are taken. It could turn riskier if the conversation doesn’t take place.
Scenario 14: Healthy behaviour because action is taken against the sexual violence
Scenario 15: Cyberbullying on grounds of sexual orientation. Even though no harmful remarks were added, Tina was ‘outed’ against her will.
Scenario 16: Slut shaming online is a form of cyberbullying and online sexual harassment.
Scenario 17: Online sexual harassment.

Online sexual violence represents a tangible reality for young people. Non-consensual pornography is starting to become common, regardless of whether it is done as a joke, to ‘brag’, in an effort to exchange content, to take revenge at the partner (revenge porn), for coercion, to extort money etc. Fear, shame, embarrassment, guilt, shock, anger, helplessness, confusion, emotional withdrawal are common feelings amongst people who experience online sexual violence. The majority of young people in this situation may refrain from talking about what they experience, out of shame or fear of being blamed. However, no survivor of online sexual violence needs to be held responsible for what happened: what happened was an invasion of privacy, a violation of human rights and an abusive act, for which only the person who exercises this behaviour is to be held responsible. It is important that young people do seek help and have a support system around them through this. Some pointers on this are included in the theoretical part of this module under What to do if someone posts sexual images of you?

While the cyberspace offers a range of possibilities for a person to explore their sexuality, in order to do so in a positive and empowering way, we need to ensure that all online sexual encounters are both consensual and safe. Only then can they contribute to a positive and pleasurable sexuality
Some useful tips are also included in the theoretical part of this module under How to practice sexting safely? and also under the theoretical section 14.1, Protect your online space.

Tips for facilitators:

Even though the scenarios have been formulated in a general manner (most of them in the third person) it is possible that some people may relate to them and may have had possible similar experiences. If this happens and you understand that some people in your group are beginning to feel uncomfortable, validate what is going by reflecting that because we are all still striving to catch up with the online world, it is very possible that we may experience similar experiences as we’re still figuring out how to engage in our online romantic/sexual encounters with safety. Also remind young people that incidences of non-consensual pornography, sextortion, cyberbullying, sexualized harassment etc. are never the fault of the person who is experiencing this violence. Even though it is difficult or embarrassing, awkward and a taboo, it is important to talk to someone if you’re experiencing online sexual violence and to seek support. There are various online support services and helplines that have specific expertise and can help.

Tips for adapting the activity and follow up:

You may decide to have the participants work individually on the worksheet of identifying incidences of online sexual violence if you prefer. You may also decide not to proceed with the world café method and have the discussion on how we can have safe sexual encounters online in plenary by asking young people to brainstorm.

Adapting the activity for online implementation

PART 1

● Similarly to activity 10.4 ‘Microaggressions’ , there are various options in adapting the first part of this activity where participants need to identify whether an incidence was a case of online sexual violence.

● Option 1: If you’re also working asynchronously with the group, one option could be to send the worksheet to participants beforehand so they complete it prior to the workshop. You can  then discuss each incidence, one by one, in plenary.

● Option 2: In a synchronous mode, you can break the group into smaller groups in breakout groups and ask the groups to work on the worksheet. If you feel the worksheet is too big for small group work, you can shorten by picking those incidences that most correspond to the profile of your group. Or you can divide the incidences across each breakout room (i.e. each group discusses 5-6 incidences).

● Option 3: If you want to work in plenary instead of breakout rooms, you present each incidence in plenary and then participants to ‘vote’ using the thumps up icon, by raising their hand, by showing a coloured piece of paper on the screen or by using light effects on their background.

● Option 4: Toward this end, the activity can also be turned into a voting competition, where pre-designated (rotating) ‘judges’ (volunteer participants) can vote on a specific incidence. So that participants don’t feel they are put ‘on the spot’, you can have 3-4 ‘judges’ voting on a particular scenario. Judges can vote either by a thumbs up, a coloured piece of paper that they raise up to the screen or by coloured side effects on their background. For the next scenario you can proceed with choosing different judges and so on.

● Option 5: Another option would be to turn the worksheet into a digital quiz. Each incidence can be followed with the options ‘Healthy/ Positive online behaviour’, ‘Risky online behaviour’,  ‘Incidence of online sexual abuse’, ‘It depends/it is complicated’ as possible answers to choose from. Remember that the important thing is not to have ‘right’ answers (therefore do not score answers as right or wrong in the quiz) but to develop a discussion on how certain online behaviours can be risky or abuse, even though they usually may be bypassed.
Use the questions listed under point 7 in the ‘step by step process of the activity’ and also the key messages to guide a discussion after all incidences have been discussed.

Part 2

● The second part of the activity that entails the world café methodology,  can be implemented using ‘brainstorming’ sessions for each ‘station’ in plenary. You can invite participants to write their responses on an online board (Whiteboard, Padlet, Mentimeter etc).