The B.a.B.e Association and the Electronic Media Agency have launched a national awareness campaign on online violence against women with the aim of changing attitudes and behaviour among the general population – targeting both perpetrators and victims of gender-based online violence. Online violence against women is a global phenomenon that manifests itself in numerous specific forms of abuse via the internet and information and communication technologies that disproportionately affect women and have serious consequences for victims.
The campaign is being implemented as part of the SURF AND SOUND 2.0 project, and its central part consists of billboards placed in 15 cities across Croatia and two animated videos on the topic of online stalking and online harassment.
" The SURF AND SOUND 2.0 project is a continuation of the project launched in 2021 with the aim of raising awareness of the prevalence of online violence against women. This national campaign will contribute to this goal. The project is focused on improving the established mechanisms for the prevention and suppression of online violence through the work of the platform. NEON – No! Online violence. "On the platform, we offer free psychological and legal assistance in collaboration with a telecommunications expert, as well as support services in the capacity of a trusted person," said SURF AND SOUND 2.0 project coordinator Leonarda Novoselić from the B.a.B.e association.
On the occasion of the launch of the national campaign, a gathering was held on March 6, 2024, at the premises of the Croatian Employers' Association, where the video clips were premiered . The public will have the opportunity to see them on all local and national television stations in the coming period.
Online stalking can be described as the repeated engagement in threatening or intimidating behaviour directed at another person, via ICT technologies, which causes the person to fear for their own safety or for the safety of people in their close circle. Online stalking can also involve placing another person under continuous surveillance, without that person’s consent or legal authority to do so, using ICT technologies, in order to monitor that person’s movements and activities. Perpetrators are most often former partners who want to forcibly control the victim. Online stalking often also includes so-called ‘doxing’, i.e. publishing material containing another person’s personal data, without that person’s consent, making it available to a large number of end users, via ICT technologies, with the aim of inciting those end users to cause physical or significant psychological harm to the person. Perpetrators are most often close people, acquaintances or former partners, but they can also be victims of completely unknown persons.
"When we started collaborating with the B.a.B.e association on the SURF AND SOUND project, the main intention of the Council and the Agency for Electronic Media was to emphasize the positive role of the media in combating online violence against women. With the video clips, we want to point out the ubiquity of various forms of online violence and encourage a proactive attitude in the fight against this social problem. All of this would not be possible without the strong support of the media, which decided to broadcast the clips free of charge in the public interest, as well as all other media and social stakeholders who showed great interest in this topic with their responses," said Anita Malenica , a member of the Council for Electronic Media.
Online harassment implies initiating and/or participating in an attack with third parties on the victim, by publishing threatening or offensive material to a large number of end users, through ICT technologies, with the effect of causing significant damage to the attacked person. The victims are often women in prominent public functions or roles, such as politicians, journalists or activists, and face sexist insults and specific gender-based threats, such as threats of rape or femicide, which cause distress, fear and concern for their own safety.
On the occasion of the launch of the national campaign, a multi-sectoral discussion on the topic of online violence against women was held, in which the following participated: Višnja Ljubičić , Ombudsperson for Gender Equality; Anita Prusina , expert associate in the Service for Substantive Criminal Law Regulations at the Ministry of Justice and Administration; Nikolina Grubišić Požar , head of the Department of Juvenile Delinquency and Crime against Youth and Families, Zagreb Police Department; attorney Ines Bojić , external associate of B.a.B.e association; and Tanja Zaninović , senior legal expert at the Croatian Regulatory Agency for Online Activities.
The SURF AND SOUND 2.0 project is funded by the European Union from the CERC - Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program and co-financed by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, and is implemented by the B.a.B.e association in partnership with the Agency for Electronic Media and associated partners, the Judicial Academy and the Police Directorate .
