“Donald Trump won by activating a base of voters who chose his racism, misogyny, and xenophobia over unity and democracy.” – Christian Nunes, President of NOW
A comprehensive new study released today by the National Organization for Women (NOW), the nation’s leading membership-based advocacy group dedicated to defending women’s rights, advancing equality and combating injustice in all aspects of social, political and economic life, and Incogni, a data privacy company, reveals that one in four American women have experienced online harassment, with ethnic diverse backgrounds and younger generations facing disproportionately higher rates of abuse.
Laws are necessary against such online sexual harassment, violence, abuse and worse, the NOW-Incogni survey reveals. Private social media platforms can’t be trusted to do it themselves, the Institute reports. And the survey results back that up.
The research, undertaken by the National Organization for Women and Incogni, demonstrated just how digital online spaces have given rise to new challenges that “pose a particular threat to women in the U.S.,” with 1 in 4 American women experiencing online abuse, and 1 in 8 indicating that “they suffered from cybercrimes resulting from having personal data available online.”
“I am really concerned that we are going to see their following grow and more of their followers feel like they’re going to be invincible,” said Christian F. Nunes, the president of the National Organization for Women. Officials and others need to respond by being “vocal defenders” of women and girls, she said.