Nearly three quarters of women and girls have experienced some form of cyber violence according to a report from the United Nations Broadband Commission.
Women are 27 times more likely to be abused online than men, the report said. It added that 73 percent of women had reported experiencing online abuse, with 18 percent -- around 9 million women -- experiencing serious internet violence.
The report, commissioned as part of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's pledge to promote gender equality, urged governments to work harder to protect the growing number of women and girls affected by online violence.
Cyber violence, as defined by the report, includes hate speech, hacking, identity theft, online stalking, threats and induced suicides. The internet also facilitates other forms of violence against women, including sex trafficking.
The legal system has struggled to keep up with fast-moving cases of trolling, with the recent jailing of two Twitter users for abusing feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez hailed as landmark case. The rise of mobile browsing has also led to an increase in cyber violence, with perpetrators able to access the internet at any time and 'follow' targets wherever they go online.
Professor Nicole Westerland, Director of the Durham Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse, encouraged women to speak about their experiences. "If women leave online spaces or are reluctant to speak up, we would have to accept that there are large spaces in the world where women should quite simply be quiet and not speak" she told WIRED. "Online abuse is an extension of violence that happens offline, so it's vital that it's linked to wider struggles".
The commission's findings also suggest that women are unwilling to report cyber violence, fearing social repercussions -- figures from India, also in the report, suggest that only 35 percent of women report online victimisation. The report also found that only 26 percent of law enforcement agencies surveyed were taking appropriate action, urging police forces to take online violence more seriously. "Some women receive very little support from the criminal justice system despite a high level of online harassment," says Professor Westerlund. "We need to start taking online violence as seriously as abuse that happens in physical spaces, and it may be that this will require further training and investment in policing and prosecuting these forms of violence against women".
Speaking after the report's release, Houlin Zhao, co-vice chair of the Broadband Commission, stressed the importance of online access for women and girls - especially in areas of the world experiencing high levels of poverty. "The Net is an amazing resource for personal empowerment," she said. "We need to ensure that as many girls and women as possible benefit from the amazing possibilities it offers".