Sexual violence via social media

Abstract

Background

Despite the numerous benefits of social media, it has transformed into a platform where adolescents and young adults encounter instances of sexual violence perpetrated by assailants.

Objective

The primary goal of our study was to explore the sociodemographic profiles and risk determinants associated with sexual violence among individuals who fell victim to or engaged in sexual assault and harassment facilitated by social media platforms.

Method

A retrospective analysis was conducted on the records of 71 individuals who were victims of sexual violence related to social media and sought assistance at the Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Forensic Medicine between the years 2016 and 2020.

Results

The majority of victim were female (95.8 %) and aged between 12 and 19 years (94.4 %). 52 victims encountered their perpetrator via Instagram (50 %) and Facebook (32.7 %). Moreover, Whatsapp (%40) emerged as the prevalent medium for online sexual misconduct. It was noted that in-person meetings typically took place within the initial 90 days of online interaction, coinciding with a high incidence of sexual offenses (57.8 %). The most common diagnosed psychiatric disorders in victims were Acute Stress Disorder (18.3 %) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (16.9 %). Remarkably, all assailants were male, predominantly aged between 14 and 32 years (94.4 %).

Conclusions

It is recommended that initiatives focusing on increasing awareness regarding the dangers of sexual violence on social networking platforms be carried out within educational establishments and mass communication channels, particularly targeting adolescents categorized as being at high risk, along with their families.