Victims turning to the court to stop harassment such as cyber bullying and doxxing

Believing her former boyfriend’s new love interest to be behind their break-up, a woman posted a host of personal and private information on her social media accounts about the other woman.

The information included pictures of the new girlfriend and her family members, the names of her businesses and her contact details.

Mr Silas Siew, an associate at Invictus Law Corporation who represented the victim, said the woman “laboured under the misimpression that the new girlfriend caused her relationship to end”.

Eventually, the victim was able to put an end to the doxxing by applying for a court order against the perpetrator, a legal action that more targets of harassment are now taking through a specialised court.

Doxxing is the act of publishing another person’s private information online without consent, typically to harass or shame the other person. 

Mr Siew added: “The ex’s harassment certainly brought a great deal of distress to the couple, who were put on their toes and always looking over their shoulders for new forms of harassment.

“They could not focus on their daily pursuits as before.”

The Protection from Harassment Court granted the victim’s application for an expedited protection order.

After the court order was issued, the woman apologised to the new girlfriend and stopped harassing her, Mr Siew said.

Under the Protection from Harassment Act, a protection order is a court order that restrains the harasser from continuing his or her actions. It can also include conditions to ensure the victim’s safety, said Mr Fong Wei Li, managing director of Forward Legal.

A breach of the protection order is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 or a jail term not exceeding six months, or both.

In 2023, there were 526 protection orders filed with the Protection from Harassment Court, a slight increase from the 520 such orders filed in 2022.

The court, which hears cases related to harassment, cyber bullying and other acts that cause alarm or distress, was set up in June 2021.

In the six months that followed, 346 protection orders were filed.

At the 88th session of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women held in Geneva in May, Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling said Singapore enhanced the Act to make it easier for victims of harassment to obtain relief.

Ms Sun said that the Protection from Harassment Court hears applications for expedited protection orders within two to three working days of the application, and within 24 hours if there is violence or a risk of violence. 

Lawyers told The Straits Times that the number of protection orders is on the rise as people become more aware of their rights and the channels where they can seek help to stop the harassment.

Ms Sophia Ng, an associate at law firm Eugene Thuraisingam LLP, said the application process for a protection order is simple enough that individuals can apply for it themselves, saving them the cost of hiring a lawyer, and making such orders more accessible to the public.

Among the protection orders filed in 2023, cyber bullying, doxxing and sexual harassment saw an increase from the year before.

The rise of online vigilantism, the anonymity of the internet and the easy access to information online could have contributed to the increase in cyber bullying and doxxing, said Ms Joyce Khoo, an associate at law firm Quahe Woo and Palmer. 

For example, Mr Fong is representing a man in his 30s with mild autism, who was bullied by members of several online gaming communities. 

Mr Fong said: “The perpetrators, masked by the anonymity of the internet, repeatedly targeted him with derogatory comments and insults during live gaming sessions and on related forums. They mocked his appearance, speech patterns and social interactions.”

The man is applying for a protection order.

Lawyers and counsellors say cases involving protection orders are typically the most serious ones. But these form the tip of the iceberg, as many harassment cases go unreported.

Mrs Stefanie Yuen-Thio, founding chairwoman of SG Her Empowerment (SHE), said a common form of harassment is image-based sexual abuse, where victims are threatened with the dissemination of intimate photos or videos to shame them.

SHE is a non-profit group that runs Singapore’s first support centre for victims of online harms, in collaboration with the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, called SheCares@SCWO.

In an online poll of about 1,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents commissioned by SHE in 2023, three in five respondents said they had personally experienced online harm or knew someone who had.

Sexual harassment and cyber bullying were the two most common forms of online harm.

Yet, only one in two victims in the study reported their case to relevant parties such as the online platforms or the police.

This is because the victims may find the process of going to the authorities or applying for a protection order to be overwhelming.

Mrs Yuen-Thio said: “Based on our experience with clients, victims often find their trauma being reinscribed by having to continually recount their experience, and amplified by their not knowing what to expect or do next.”

Moreover, the victim may feel that taking legal action may not be effective if the perpetrator is anonymous or living overseas.

SHE’s study found that two in five victims suffered at least one severe form of impact affecting their physical or mental health, such as having suicidal thoughts.

With advancement in technology and as people conduct more of their activities online, the potential for online harassment is only expected to increase, said Forward Legal’s Mr Fong.

He said an emerging threat is the use of deepfakes, which are created using artificial intelligence to change or manipulate audio and visual content, to discredit or humiliate individuals.

He said: “The ease with which such content can be produced and distributed poses a significant threat to personal and professional reputations.”

If you need help:

1. SheCares@SCWO

Hotline: 8001-01-4616 WhatsApp: 6571-4400

2. Aware’s Sexual Assault Care Centre

6779-0282

3. National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline

1800-777-0000

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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