https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/trauma-my-pocket-social-media-and-memories-sexual-harassment-after-field-research
Apr 11, 2022
I did my PhD field research in Nairobi, Kenya, over the period of about nine months over 2019 and 2020. I was doing a qualitative study of strategies for wellbeing among Congolese refugees in the city and met some of the most incredible people I’ve ever known. Unfortunately, my time was also peppered with experiences of sexual harassment, particularly at the hands of two of my male informants. These men were both leaders in their respective communities and acted as ‘gatekeepers,’ controlling the level of access I had to large numbers of participants. Both men leveraged their social status and
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/how-make-sure-it-gets-better
Apr 11, 2022
This piece is written to capture the shifting norms, language, and anxieties surrounding relationship visibility and privacy boundaries. This autobiographical blog is designed to read as a casual social media post guided by memories of identity crises, bullying, homophobia, and doxxing. The piece also captures how power dynamics in the virtual space create very real consequences in life offline.
Growing up visibly gay and gender non-normative in upstate New York (NOT NEW YORK CITY) juuuuuust before it was cool — the earliest of the aughts (the 2000s) — pretty much sucked, if you’
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/saam/fire-emojis-queerness-and-online-sexual-harassment
Apr 11, 2022
It all started with the ‘fire emojis’ on Instagram.
I would post a selfie or a somewhat intimate story, and a couple of minutes or hours later, I would get the fire emojis. In other words: Hottie. Cutie. Babe.
And I mean, isn’t it amazing to get attention and a digitally mediated dopamine shot? To be desired? Well actually not so, I realized. Not always, at least. The particular situation/context matters. The who, the what, the how. You know?
Flirting is a big part of everyone’s lives. Most of us are longing for connection and intimacy — in the myriad of forms it can take — and since a
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/intersection-disability-and-gender-online-harassment
Apr 06, 2022
I am a lecturer in Disability studies. I am also a woman with dwarfism, who since childhood has been called ‘midget’ by strangers who find my dwarfism funny and unacceptable within society. Here, I explore the online harassment I received as a disabled, female academic after successfully campaigning to remove the word midget from a popular brand of sweets. I argue that online harassment was provoked both by British news media, which is predominantly politically biased, and my identity as a disabled female academic.
Disability studies is characterized by a personal interest in disability and
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/press-releases/21st-annual-sexual-assault-awareness-month-campaign-nsvrc-shares-importance
Mar 30, 2022
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Supporters are invited to participate on social media and share a photo wearing teal on the April 5th Day of Action
Harrisburg, PA –The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) commemorates the start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in April with their ‘Building Safe Online Spaces Together’ campaign to highlight the role that each of us can play in creating safe, respectful and equitable online communities. For too long, harassment, cyberbullying and exploitation have been seen as inevitable behaviors online. During this month-long
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/writing-survivor
Mar 23, 2022
Every survivor has a story. Telling that story can help them celebrate their voice, their creativity, bring awareness to the issues, or even advocate for prevention. Although not for everyone, writing has long been celebrated for its healing capabilities. While online spaces of writing, poetry corners, books, and blogs can play a positive influence in the lives of those healing from trauma, they can also constitute spaces of abuse and harassment. When writers put their experiences, thoughts, feelings, or narratives online, they can become targets for criticism, victim blaming or trolling.
If
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/10-tips-being-trauma-informed-online
Mar 23, 2022
Online spaces and content can bring us a lot of joy, but they can also cause harm and pain. Here are some important things to remember about being trauma-informed online with ourselves, with others, and with the content we encounter. Being trauma-informed means taking into consideration a person’s experience of trauma and their reactions to it.
#1) Pictures of outwardly happy smiling faces don’t always mean people are happy and smiling inside.
It’s easy to assume that everyone else is living exciting, fun-filled lives when scrolling social media. These platforms have been known to
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/understanding-disability-inclusion-and-ableism
Mar 23, 2022
According to the CDC, “Disability inclusion means understanding the relationship between the way people function and how they participate in society, and making sure everybody has the same opportunities to participate in every aspect of life to the best of their abilities and desires.” People with disabilities are integral parts of our world and community, yet they often face inaccessible or unwelcoming spaces online. The word disability itself is a limiting term, as it refers to an immense spectrum of experiences. Disabilities can affect a person’s auditory, cognitive, neurological,
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/history-strong-women
Mar 15, 2022
In honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, I feel as though it is my duty and privilege to share with you all some fabulous children’s books, adult books, and films held within the Respect Together Library collection. My hope is that these stories will bring forth reflection, as well as a desire to learn more about the incredible women who have shaped our lives and our country.
Courageous First Ladies Who Changed the World by Heidi Poelman is a young child’s introduction to the women who used their influence in the White House to change the world. Simple text tells the
https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/online-harassment-resources
Mar 02, 2022
The following resource helps victims of online bullying, harassment, or hate speech connect with resources to document, report, and heal from cyber-related harm.
Spotlighted Resources
Online Harassment Field Manual - PEN America
“Whether you’re experiencing or witnessing online abuse, this Field Manual offers concrete strategies for how to defend yourself and others. We wrote this guidance with and for those disproportionately impacted by online abuse: writers, journalists, artists, and activists who identify as women, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQIA+. Whatever your identity or vocation, anyone active
