An arena of digital violence: How do women in Egypt deal with cyber revenge?!

* This investigation was conducted with the support of ARIJ (Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism).

Walaa (pseudonym), living with her family in Cairo, never expected that rejecting a romantic proposal from a colleague she considered a friend would end with her photos being used by accounts on X (formerly Twitter) accompanied by vulgar and obscene sexual slurs aimed at ruining her reputation, portraying her as a “sex worker.”

The overwhelming fear Heba—a woman from Upper Egypt, a region known for its strong adherence to traditions of female chastity—felt prompted her to remain silent in the face of her ex-partner’s abuse. She feared that provoking him might cause him to make good on his threats to expose her. She told him she’d inform his family that he was blackmailing women, only for him to mockingly respond: “I’m a man; what’s the worst that can happen to me? But you? They’ll slit your throat.”

What happened to Walaa is a case of impersonation and identity theft, which the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) defines as a form of cyber or online violence. It involves creating a fake profile and assuming another person’s identity for malicious purposes, such as destroying someone’s reputation or threatening their safety

Rania

Rania (pseudonym), a mental health professional, experienced gender-based online violence when she was stalked through calls and her social media accounts—a common method. Shockingly, her ex-partner was the one blackmailing her, trying to force her to return to him. Rania thought the issue would end once she got engaged to someone else, but it was only the beginning. Her ex threatened to send intimate phone recordings of their past conversations to her family and fiancé, with the goal of ruining her life unless she gave in to his sexual demands.

Hiba

Hiba (pseudonym), a university professor from Upper Egypt, also lives in fear. She was blackmailed with intimate messages and photos by her former romantic partner. The two had been together for years and had plans to marry, but Hiba’s brother did not approve of him as a husband. Hiba hoped her partner would try to convince her brother, but instead, she received threats from him—the man she was supposed to marry vowed to ruin her reputation in front of her family and students if she didn’t stay with him after she said they might have to end the relationship.

Marianne

The threats of defamation took a more complex form in the case of Marianne (pseudonym), a journalist focused on women’s issues. Marianne was subjected to an attempted sexual assault by her fiancé and managed to escape by hitting and pushing him away. He later apologized for his actions, and after much pleading and insistence, she decided to give him another chance, though she remained uneasy about him and his attempts to exploit her financially.

Things escalated when he used their private conversations to tarnish her image in front of the religious figures in their church. He also demanded that she return the gold jewelry he had gifted her, claiming he deserved compensation for being engaged to an “ill-reputed girl” after she refused to cover all the wedding expenses and submit to his sexual demands, which she did not consent to and went against her values.

Hiba (pseudonym), a university professor from Upper Egypt, was blackmailed with intimate messages and photos by her former romantic partner. The two had been together for years and had plans to marry, but Hiba’s brother did not approve of him as a husband. Hiba hoped her partner would try to convince her brother, but instead, she received threats from him—the man she was supposed to marry vowed to ruin her reputation in front of her family and students if she didn’t stay with him after she said they might have to end the relationship.

A study titled “Mapping Technology-Based Violence Against Women” by Take Back the Tech examined 1,126 reported cases from 2012 to 2014. The results showed that women aged 18 to 30 or younger are the most vulnerable to online blackmail. Furthermore, abusive partners in intimate relationships were one of the most common perpetrators of cyber violence against women.

This study is part of the Women's Rights Program, a project by the APC and the Women's Rights Network (WRP), funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Digital violence against women in Egypt

Blaming the victim

Fear gripped Walaa after she discovered offensive and abusive accounts targeting her on X (formerly Twitter). The perpetrator’s pride in tarnishing her reputation among her university peers, coupled with him threatening her from an anonymous account, only deepened her feelings of anger and helplessness.

Walaa says she felt deeply discouraged when she asked her mother, a lawyer, about the measures a girl she knows should take when faced with a similar issue. Her mother advised that the girl in question would have to go to the cybercrime unit and provide her accounts for investigation. Walaa hesitated, as she was an opposition political activist, and feared additional complications if she pursued legal action.

A 2023 study on digital violence against women in Egypt found that most social media platforms do not respond adequately to reports from digitally abused women. It also highlighted that young women fear their families might learn about their personal and intimate lives outside the context of marriage, which can prevent them from defending themselves, seeking support, or resorting to legal action.

The threats of defamation took a more complex form in the case of Marianne (pseudonym), a journalist focused on women’s issues. Marianne was subjected to an attempted sexual assault by her fiancé and managed to escape by hitting and pushing him away. He later apologized for his actions, and after much insistence, she decided to give him a second chance. However, he ended up using their private conversations to discredit her and tarnish her image in front of the religious figures in their church.

The overwhelming fear Hiba—a woman from Upper Egypt, a region known for its strong adherence to traditions of female chastity—felt prompted her to remain silent in the face of her ex-partner’s abuse. She feared that provoking him might cause him to make good on his threats to expose her. She told him she’d inform his family that he was blackmailing women, only for him to mockingly respond: “I’m a man; what’s the worst that can happen to me? But you? They’ll slit your throat.” It was then that Hiba felt the sting of injustice and discrimination.

The same sense of injustice overwhelmed Marianne when the fathers at their church, who were tasked with mediating between her and her ex-fiancé, decided to blame her for their private conversations. Despite her refusal to comply with his advances and her attempts to defend herself, she was deemed to have a tarnished reputation. The judgment went in his favor, with him reclaiming the gold he had gifted her, and she endured this humiliation in front of her father.

For Rania, she was overcome with terror when her ex-partner took advantage of her fear of her family. She deactivated her accounts for periods of time but could not block or ignore him completely.

A 2020 study by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), conducted across 51 countries, examined the prevalence of online violence against women. The study revealed that women in countries with long-standing gender inequality or institutionalized sexism “tend to experience online violence at higher rates.” It also found that 62% of the participants “said women are experiencing a sense of helplessness due to the lack of adequate measures to combat the issue.”

Support... A beacon of light in the darkness

Walaa decided to seek advice from friends with more experience in dealing with cyber violence against women. They advised her not to show fear to her abuser and to act as if she had support from her family and legal assistance. So she posted on X—the platform where she had received threats—claiming that someone was impersonating her, that she had collected all the evidence and screenshots from the accounts defaming her, and that she intended to take legal action and expose "the person" to their mutual acquaintances.

Friends with more experience in dealing with cyber violence against women advised Walaa not to show fear to her abuser and to act as if she had legal assistance and support from her family. So she posted on X—the platform where she had received threats—claiming that someone was impersonating her, that she had collected all the evidence and screenshots from the accounts defaming her, and that she intended to take legal action and expose "the person" to their mutual acquaintances.

Despite the discrimination she faced, Marianne felt strength and support from her father, who defended her in front of the church fathers, refusing to have his daughter stigmatized. He expressed pride in her courage and self-defense, even accusing them of failing her and discriminating against her.

Rania also received similar support from her fiancé—now her husband—when she confided in him about her fears regarding the threats. He stood by her and reassured her, which gave her the courage to block her abuser on social media and show no fear.

Various ways to combat digital violence

Walaa felt empowered when her abuser backed down and deleted all the accounts that had been tarnishing her reputation. He even contacted her in fear, claiming he had no intention of harming her, and deactivated his accounts. This experience left Walaa feeling more confident, knowing she could defend herself, even with her limited resources.

Hiba decided to vent her anger on her blackmailer and abuser when he returned to apologize, asking for her trust again. He justified his actions by saying he loved her and was jealous, and that he did not intend to harm her. He assured her he felt guilty and begged for forgiveness, but soon returned to demanding sexual favors and a secret marriage. This assured her that her decision to end things with him had been the right thing to do. Hiba developed new principles to protect herself in relationships, though she still feels the pain of her past experience, saying, "The wound is still open." However, she intends to move on with her life and support other women and girls who fall into similar traps.

According to an interactive statistic from The Economist Intelligence Unit (2020), the rate of women exposed to online violence is high in 51 countries, peaking in the Middle East at 98%, with the lowest rate being 74% in Europe. Globally, impersonation crimes reached 63%, threats of violence 52%, hacking and stalking 63%, misinformation and defamation 67%, and blackmail involving personal images and videos 57%.

Marianne says that an early financial loss saved her from a miserable marriage that she would have struggled to end as a Christian woman. While she is grateful to her family and herself, Marianne says she still feels anger at the social and religious system that wronged her and failed to support her as the victim.

Rania carried on with her life, married her fiancé, and had a child. She learned more about personal and digital safety and decided to change all her accounts and phone numbers. She minimized her digital presence while she was being blackmailed until she eventually felt safer.

Marianne says that an early financial loss saved her from a miserable marriage that she would have struggled to end as a Christian woman. While she is grateful to her family and herself, Marianne says she still feels anger at the social and religious system that wronged her and failed to support her as the victim.