THUNDER BAY – It’s not clear what the federal government can do to protect women from Internet harassment but Patty Hajdu is going on tour to find out.
The Minister of the Status of Women will hold a series of roundtables across Canada next week to discern the role of the federal government in gender-based violence, including how it relates to cyberbullying.
“I consider it the wild west of communication,” Hajdu said of the Internet, pointing out there has been little legislation or case law in Canada related to the rapid rise of social media over the last decade.
“In some cases, it feels like anything goes. The challenge is, women are out there doing digital work just like men are, using a digital platform and facing astronomical rates of abuse.”
Hajdu has seen older women feel the need to abandon online activity due to poor monitoring, young women driven to harm themselves over online harassment and women of all ages experiencing threats to their physical safety as a result of interactions in the virtual world.
Consultations with municipal, provincial and private sector partners will guide which federal agencies will use appropriate instruments to govern relationships online in the interest of keeping women safe. Data collection related to online activity will play a role in ongoing monitoring for the umbrella strategy to prevent violence against women.
“Women experience a tremendous amount of verbal violence,” Hajdu said.
“Sometimes we’ve heard cases where people have been stalked or harm as a result of online exposure. That’s something we’ll be talking about. We’ll also be talking about domestic violence particularly. We’ll be talking about forced marriage, childhood trauma and abuse and how it contributes to ongoing violence.”
Hajdu will personally lead conversations with people across the gender spectrum in Toronto and Ottawa, followed by a schedule of regional consultations
