Desensitization = the process of causing someone to experience something, usually an emotion or a pain, less strongly than before
Cambridge Dictionary
In the age of social media, being an empathetic person must be a terrible thing indeed. Without meaning it, by one click and a slip of the thumb, you can see what is arguably the worst day of people’s lives. With a specific set of cruel intentions, you can make it someone’s worst day, now available for all eyes around the world.
And violence isn’t a novelty. Man discovered fire, and then he discovered fire can burn. What is there left to do then, but turn it into a weapon? Throughout wars and scientific discoveries, violence was the one constant, be it loud or quiet. At one point, along the march of time, it became expected. Now, the internet is the newest tool, just the most recent development that was meant to improve the quality of life, not destroy it.
We can now reach each other across the globe, record in all colours, trade necessary and luxury items with record speed. AI is growing more popular and smarter by the second, campaigns have moved to online platforms, and the headline “The following footage contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing” can be seen everywhere. Day by day, reactions are more subdued, with a quiet resignation and a quick scroll. For every bad post, there are a thousand more following it. For every crime, there’s a next one and a next one. It has never been easier to find information, and it has never been easier to look past it.
Women’s suffering, as well, could never be louder. Women are the victims of age-old, and yet there are always more ways to hurt them. From deepfakes, to Epstein’s files, to podcasts, to now a global ‘online rape academy’, the internet doesn’t seem like an improvement. Cyberstalking and surveillance are some of the most common acts of cyberviolence reported, and pornographic deepfake videos almost exclusively target women. It speaks to a level of hatred that is shared through the anonymity of a website. If they even had it before, women no longer have the safety of their own house or their sleep. For every step forward, there are two steps back.
According to UN Women, every ten minutes, one woman or girl is killed, usually by a partner or family member. The assaults are endless, personal, and they affect all of us without most realizing it. From minor to major, now they’re shared with the world, and ignored by it. March 8th demonstrations ring loudly every year, trying to bring back some dignity to a history of fighting for the bare minimum.
Desensitization is a long process. After all, humans are hardwired to care about those next to them, to crave a community. Distance makes it easier for most, as if any woman isn’t someone’s mother, sister, daughter. A stranger on the internet can be ignored and her suffering can be enjoyed by others. Those fighting for more are silenced with one swipe, but they’re still fighting. Women’s rights organizations, journalists and anyone else willing to help is driving the change for the better.
While the internet is making the assault more accessible, it also makes it easier to expose. The double-edged sword that it is, it brings any news around the world and back, both the good and the bad. After all, kindness is the best opposition to cruelty. Paying attention will directly help take that one step forward. It is driving the force behind the victims that are speaking up, because change is never quiet, but it takes a long time.
And yet it happens. Across Europe, several countries have introduced specific femicide legislation. The ‘My Voice, My Choice’ Initiative has been introduced in the European Commission’s Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2039 after a long campaign both online and in person. Every day, women are fighting to be recognized, and for a better future.
Everything starts, of course, with believing women. And then it continues, like it has been for so long, with striving to change policy, to make it safer for victims to report crimes and get away from abusers. If their suffering can be spread so quickly online, then it can also be helped.