Digital gender-based violence in Chile: a survey during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This research was carried out under the wing of Amaranta, a Chilean feminist and activist NGO. Its objective was to explore from a gender perspective the digital violence that affected women in Chile. The study that was conducted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, 531 women from all regions of the country were surveyed. Of this non-probabilistic sample, 73.8% had suffered digital violence. The most reported attacks were: verbal violence, harassment, sending sexual images without consent, defamation, threats and loss of account or non-consensual access and tended to come from anonymous persons and men in their immediate circle. Among the consequences they mention: emotional effects, effects on self-esteem or relationship with their body and feeling watched. It is concluded that digital violence has a disproportionate impact on women, young women and girls and that, due to little or no access to comprehensive sexual education and digital literacy, it may be difficult for them to recognize, prevent and address it in time.