Online Harassment and Cyberstalking: Victim Access to Crisis, Referral and Support Services in Canada Concepts and Recommendations
The explosive growth in Internet use, as well as in other forms of electronic communications, in Canada – with more than 16.84 million Internet users in over two thirds of all Canadian households – has brought with it an equal explosion in the misuse of these new forms of communication, including the crimes of online harassment and cyberstalking. These crimes directly impact individual Canadian victims, creating:
- Fear for personal safety and security;
- Anxiety for the future and a loss of quality of life;
- Uncertainty and unpredictability, as the uncontrolled acts intrude upon the lives of victims in arandom fashion, making the re-establishment of a normal life difficult.
At the same time, familiarity with the Internet and a sense of distance created by electronic communications causes society believe that such communications are not dangerous, are easily ignored and are therefore unimportant.
Technology is presently outpacing both society’s understanding and the law itself. To help victim needs be understood, this paper:
- Examines the laws, policies and procedures surrounding these technological crimes and how they compare to harassment and stalking in the real world;
- Examines the lack of automatic and immediate access to crisis, support and referral services; how the needs of these victims can best be served;
- Recommends the creation of an independent, non-profit organization which can act as an information clearinghouse and reporting, referral and support service for victims of Internet crimes against the person such as online harassment and cyberstalking, which would liase closely with law enforcement agencies and commercial Internet Service Providers; and
- Makes additional recommendations based on consultation with law enforcement personnel, Internet Service Provider staff, victim advocates and victims themselves.
