Violence Against Women Online Has Steadily Increased Since 2017

Reports of gender-based cyber violence (KSBG) against women directly filed with the Indonesian National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) have steadily increased over the past five years.

According to Komnas Perempuan, KSBG is violence against women and girls perpetrated wholly or partly using information and communication technologies (ICT).

"Types of KSBG are constantly evolving and overlap with various forms of gender-based violence against women," Komnas Perempuan explained in its *Annual Report on Violence Against Women 2021*, released on March 7, 2022.

Prominent KSBG cases include the spread of pornographic content, hacking and falsification of victim accounts, grooming for sexual exploitation, cyberbullying of domestic violence (KDRT) victims using negative stereotypes about women's roles as wives or widows, and the dissemination of the identities of witnesses in sexual violence cases and online harassment.

"KSBG has resulted in victims experiencing depression, humiliation, suicidal thoughts, anger, loss of self-esteem, marital conflict, community bullying, and reduced income (impoverishment)," Komnas Perempuan stated.

In 2017, Komnas Perempuan received only 16 KSBG reports. This number has since climbed steadily, reaching 1,721 cases in 2021.

The number of KSBG reports received by Komnas Perempuan in 2021 represents an 83% increase compared to 2020, which saw 940 reports.

Komnas Perempuan recorded 855 KSBG cases in the personal sphere and 866 cases in the public sphere in 2021.

Cases in the personal sphere were predominantly sexually-motivated violence. The majority of perpetrators were ex-boyfriends (617 cases), followed by current boyfriends (218 cases).

In the public sphere, the most frequent perpetrators were social media friends (389 cases) and strangers (324 cases).

(See also: Indonesia Experiences the Highest Number of Ransomware Attacks in Southeast Asia)