The social networking site Twitter has collaborated with the non-governmental organization of lawyers "Women, Action, and the Media" (Wam), in order to address the phenomena of sexual harassment via the internet, as they are now said to have reached uncontrolled proportions.
According to a study by the Pew Research Center, the profile of 26% of women between the ages of 18 and 24 has been systematically monitored by men, 25% of female users have been the target of sexual harassment online.
Thus, the Wam organization has created a comprehensive and at the same time easy-to-use form through which users can report harassment and threats that will then be reported "escalated" on Twitter.
“There are so many different ways that women are harassed, and the reporting system that Twitter currently has can’t catch them all,” said Jacqueline Friedman, the head of Wam. The organization aims to cast a wide net of protection online, especially when it comes to harassment against women of color and the LGBT community.
The organization has a broader and longer questionnaire than Twitter's in cases of harassment complaints, such as "Do you fear for your personal safety because of this harassment?" or "How many times have you reported harassment cases on Twitter?" It also allows an individual to categorize harassment, so that complaints that require further investigation or even prosecutorial intervention can be discarded in less than 24 hours.
The Wam form also has another purpose: to collect data on how perpetrators behave online. This will make it easier to deal with them and take preventive measures.
A Twitter spokesperson told the Guardian: “We are always looking to improve how we address harassment issues and Wam is one of many organisations working on the issue globally and with the best techniques for our own safety.”.
Source: koutipandoras.gr
