09,Feb 2024
When we hear the word ‘rape’ we directly correlate it to physical sexual abuse. But what about digital rape? Is it also physical in nature or as the name says it is digital? With the introduction of the metaverse into the lives of people, the challenges associated with it are also introduced. The digital world has raised a big concern about virtual safety. Crimes are not restricted to the physical world but have also entered the digital world. In a recent case, a minor girl got raped in the metaverse. To know more about this, watch our YouTube video, “Metaverse Rape Case- A New Threat of Online Gaming”.
Metaverse rape is a type of online sexual harassment where the perpetrator uses technology to forcefully engage in sexual activity with someone in the digital world. It is done without the consent of the other person involved. When the perpetrator tries to assault the victim sexually the victim can feel the unwanted touch through Virtual Reality controllers. The controllers vibrate thus creating a very disorienting and disturbing experience in the physical world. It can be done in the following ways:
Metaverse is the virtual world where the digital avatars of real world users interact. It allows people to live their fantasy lives by hiding their real identities. It is a shared and immersive 3D virtual space where humans experience a different life than what it is in the actual world.
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It is considered that being a digital rape, it does not harm the victim physically and hence can’t be considered a serious crime. But it is not right to consider it harmless. It does not give physical injuries to the victims instead it gives emotional and psychological trauma. Online rape victims also go through the same trauma that a physically raped victim has to undergo. The assaulted person feels the pain of helplessness that leads to social isolation because psychological impacts last longer than physical ones.
Just like physical world rapes, we need to prevent the online rapes as well. To do so we need to follow the strategies mentioned below:
Digital rape cases are increasing and turning into serious issues thus it requires law enforcement agencies to formulate such laws to prevent this. Along with this people should also be aware of online harassment so that they can protect themselves.