KUALA LUMPUR, March 1 — Despite having ignited success and inspiration in the digital space industry, women still face challenges in the digital world, including harassment, doxing, and sexism, said Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
Quoting a Kaspersky Report published last month, she said 46 per cent of Malaysian respondents experienced various forms of online violence and harassment.
“This is unacceptable, and we must take decisive action to create safer and more inclusive digital environments,” she said at the ‘Inclusivity and Empowerment in the Digital Space’ forum today.
At the same time, it is also imperative that women take proactive steps to equip themselves with the knowledge and tools necessary to avoid falling victim to digital scams while participating in the digital economy.
Teo said digital platforms and organisations must also be held accountable for fostering fair and respectful online environments.
“We need to play a role in reporting online gender-based violence when we see it on social media platforms and call out anyone who posts such violative content,” she said.
Speaking to the press after the forum, the deputy minister said from January 2023 until February 15 this year, 709 pornographic content have been removed from social media via a collaboration between the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and social media platform providers.
During the same period, 2,525 posts containing bullying or harassment elements were also removed.
“All of these are part of the efforts by the Communications Ministry through the MCMC to ensure these platforms are not being misused,” Teo said.
She also urged social media platform providers to tighten their user guidelines to show no tolerance for any form of online violence.
— Bernama
