Online trolls can be ruthless, especially when they’re sending you threats. Vice-President Leni Robredo said as much when she opened up about the online rape threats to her three daughters.
During a recent speech, Robredo addressed how there’s a prevailing “culture of impunity, hate, and anger” in the online sphere. One of the hate comments she received was from a male Facebook user who threatened to rape her daughters. “You know my three daughters have been threatened with bodily harm, with rape, and these are all online. If you’re alone, you will be scared,” she said.
Robredo adds that equipping yourself with information and engaging in healthy discussions is needed to “save the country from evil.” “If you can do something about changing the conversation online, please do.”
We know that the VP, and every other politician, gets their fair share of trolls. However, the blatant misogyny and threats like this are still troubling. During the rallies against the Marcos burial, women were also targeted with gross remarks online. This prompted lawyers to offer their services to combat sexual harassment.
Meanwhile, we also need a law that’ll safeguard women, especially young women, from dangerous threats. This is also why Sen. Risa Hontiveros is pushing for the Gender-Based Electronic Violence Law.
In the first place, people shouldn’t go online just to send any kind of threats to others: may they be women, men, and members of the LGBT community.
Photo courtesy of Vice-President Leni Robredo’s Facebook page
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