Virtual World and Vulnerable Women - A Case study

Abstract

In the information era, cyberspace tends to occupy the social realities of both men and women. Cyberspace, or the de facto synonym for the internet, and the World Wide Web, is used as a metaphor for describing the non-physical terrain created by computer systems. Online systems, for example, create space within which people can communicate with one another (via e-mail, or social media), research, or simply window shop. At the 4th World Conference for Women in Beijing in 1995, ICTs were recognised as critical for achieving women’s empowerment and gender equality, but cyberspace can either empower or disempower women. It need not always be a friendly space for women; it has the risk of many pitfalls in the virtual world. The present paper is based on the information related to the women victims of cyberspace in Madurai District and the information collected from some victims themselves. Five cases with different orientations were the prime focus of the study. This paper deals with the victims' vulnerability and how the construction of identities in cyberspace leads to the perpetration of violence against women. The paper emphasises the need for wider dialogue around the interface of technology with culture, institutions of family and marriage, sexuality, body, privacy, and freedom of expression. The dos and don’ts in cyberspace for women are presented as suggestions as viewed by the law & order people.