What is digital violence and what types are there?

The Chamber of Deputies approved, with 480 votes in favor, 0 against, and 0 abstentions, the opinion that adds Article 20 Quater of the General Law on Women's Access to a Life Free of Violence, whose objective is to broaden the concept of digital violence, as well as the types that exist.

According to the Women's Secretariat of Mexico City, digital violence is defined as:

"Any malicious action carried out through the use of information and communication technologies, by which real or simulated images, audios, or videos of the intimate sexual content of a person are exposed, distributed, disseminated, exhibited, transmitted; commercialized, offered, exchanged or shared without their consent, without their approval or their authorization and that causes them psychological, emotional damage, in any area of their private life or their self-image. As well as those malicious acts that cause damage to the intimacy, privacy and/or dignity of women, which are committed using information and communication technologies."

Digital violence and Women's Secretariat of the Mexico City

The ruling approved by the Chamber of Deputies extends the concept of digital violence to all those actions that have the purpose of extorting, coercing, blackmailing, and threatening the victims with the dissemination of material with sexual content without their consent.

The bill that will be sent to the Senate of the Republic for its analysis also states that the states and municipalities that have Gender Violence Alerts must allocate resources for the attention of the measures indicated in this ruling, which will be added to those allocated by the Federation.

It also states that the public servants responsible for compliance with the Alert will be subject to administrative liabilities in case of non-compliance and non-observance. The ruling approved by the Chamber of Deputies establishes that those who commit digital violence or media violence will be punished with three to six years in prison.

What types of digital violence are there?

Similarly, the Women's Secretariat of Mexico City, indicates that there are 6 expressions of digital violence which can be manifested as follows:

Cyberbullying

It is the one that is carried out using the media, mainly the internet, mobile telephony, as well as online video games, to commit psychological harassment.

Sexting

It consists of sending photographs and videos of a sexual nature through the cell phone or any other technological device addressed to another person. It will be considered digital violence when sending and receiving these images are not consensual.

Stalking

These are those behaviors performed by a person known as a stalker, who consistently seeks to pursue, stalk and harass another person compulsively through technological platforms.

Grooming

It is the harassment exercised by an adult person towards a child or adolescent to establish a relationship of emotional control and sexual abuse.

Shaming

Also known as fat-shaming and slut-shaming, it is the type of violence used to name those acts that aim to shame the victim, mainly women. The former term refers to the physical complexion and the latter to sexual behaviors and desires.

Doxing

Consists of the action of publishing private information without the person's consent.