Threats of rape, physical & sexual violence

Definition & description

Sexual violence and rape threats are very commonly made against women. Usually, victims are threatened with forced sexual intercourse, unwanted sexual penetration or assault in digital spaces mostly through social media and anonymously. However, rape threats that are made online are less likely to be taken seriously as they are presumed to be “not real” and merely virtual.

Incident response: What do I do?

Assess your risk. Has the online harassment made you concerned for your physical safety or that of your family or colleagues? We have a DIY risk assessment you can take in deciding your next step. The assessment is just a guide, but if you’re being made to feel physically unsafe in any way, trust your instincts. You may need to temporarily relocate to a hotel or a friend’s place. Tell someone you trust about your location (ideally through an encrypted channel like Signal or a secret channel on Telegram).

Report, mute, block. Every social media platform has its own reporting tools for users to file reports against violation of community standard. Most of them have very strict content regulation against threats of rape, physical and sexual violence. Find out more on reporting to social media here.

If you would like to read more about social media platform's community guidelines on content moderation, you may click on the link belows.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tik Tok

Reporting it to police. Making death, rape or serious physical harm threat is an offence under the penal code in Malaysia. However, many victims do not feel like they can report the incident to police as online threat is often perceived as "unreal". Victims are often advised to sign out of social media or to remove the triggering content. The separation of online vs offline / real vs unreal is misleading given most of our lives are already digitalised today. Online violence is real violence. It is understandable that you do not feel safe coming forward to the authorities. If you do decide to make a report, we hope the information on this page will help you.

NOTE: Reporting may be seen as a simple step to most, however, for victims it may be a difficult task to do and it is completely okay. The most important thing is to avoid the retraumatisation of victims. If you feel this is a heavy process to do, we would recommend reaching out to someone you trust to help you.

Document it. There are many ways to document the threat; screen capturing the messages or content, saving the relevant links, saving a screen capture of your complaints, etc. Make sure the screen captures are inclusive of the date of the attack. If you consider reporting to law enforcement, your documentation would be very useful.

If you are thinking about documenting the violence but the idea of going back to the platforms can be triggering for you, ask for assistance from someone you trust.

Setting up self-digital security. Going private on your social media account can help avoid perpetrators from harming you further. The perpetrators may try to infiltrate your other social media accounts. There are many reasons they may want to do this: to further shame you, to dox you, to shift the harassment from online to offline, or to use your personal information against you.

It is worth going private on your social media accounts even for a short while until you feel safe again. You should also assess how strong your passwords are and if you need to change them to strengthen your security. Alternatively, there is also the option of deactivating your account temporarily.

Self-care. It is completely understandable if you are affected mentally, emotionally, or physically by the online gender-based violence experienced. Remember, it is not your fault and they should not have harassed and harmed you. Taking a time off or regular breaks from the digital space also helps. Talk to a trusted someone and ask for help if you need it. And, if you feel strongly about speaking up, you have the complete agency to decide how you would like to do so. Seeking professional mental health care can also make a big difference, especially if you get to a point where you feel hopeless or paralyzed by fear, talk about your abuse obsessively, struggle to enjoy things, or have difficulty eating or sleeping. Find out more on how to prioritise your well-being here

Laws on threats of rape, physical & sexual violence

Section 506 of the Penal Code criminalises threats to cause death or grievous hurt, the destruction of any property by fire, or to cause any other offence punishable with death or imprisonment. This provision protects victims/survivors who receive such threats both online or offline in nature.

Section 509 of the Penal Code criminalises any person who insults the modesty of any woman by word, through sound, gesture or exhibits any object intentionally.