Your Voice: Online sexual harassment during the pandemic; longing for school life amid class suspensions (long letters)

Amid the pandemic, social media has served as an important source of entertainment, but it has also become the invisible hand of predators. As people spend more time sharing their lives on social media, predators may also be watching from behind a screen.

While sexual harassment can happen to people of any gender, it affects many women around the world.

According to the World Bank, there has been a global rise in the online harassment of women and girls since the start of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago. A study from the Hong Kong Women’s Coalition on Equal Opportunities released last month found 37.5 per cent of women, aged 15 to 64, had experienced sexual violence, including forms of harassment.

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Sexual harassment is no longer limited to face-to-face confrontations. It can happen over social media, email, forums and messaging platforms.

Amy*, a secondary school student in Hong Kong, told me about her recent experience with sexual harassment. What started as an innocent follow request on Instagram quickly spiralled into hurtful insults and unwanted attention.

At the start, the predator kept replying to Amy’s Instagram story, but she would not respond. This one-sided conversation with no reciprocation from Amy continued for two weeks. Over time, she started receiving messages with disturbing and inappropriate content that made her feel extremely uncomfortable. The harassment continued even after she asked him to stop.

“There are things that are not appropriate to be said, especially when I have already told him to stop,” said Amy.

The harasser also sent messages shaming her for her looks and insulting her personality. Amy warned her friends about this person, though he then messaged her asking that she stop talking about him. He eventually deleted his account, but the damage was already done.

Other common forms of sexual harassment on social media include sending nude pictures or threatening to post someone’s private messages without their permission.

These are disturbing examples, but harassment can also be common and insidious. You probably see it all the time: people spreading rumours about someone’s sexuality or judging others for their sexual activity.

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Even if it happens through Instagram, it is still considered sexual harassment, and it is not justifiable. It causes victims to feel judged, ashamed and scared. Sexual harassment is unacceptable in all forms, and predators should be held accountable.

If you are facing sexual harassment online or know someone who is, speak up. Report and block the harasser’s account, and warn your friends about this person. Make sure to also talk to an adult you trust about the incident.

If you are experiencing anxiety or depression, know that it is a valid response. Consider opening up to a trusted friend about how you feel or talking to a school counsellor or psychologist.
*Full name withheld at interviewee’s request.

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Kelly Lin Ka-yee; HKMA KS Lo College

After two years of suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic, my attitude towards school life has changed a lot.

In the past, I was a lazy student, and school life felt so tedious – it was just about sitting on a chair and writing on sheets of paper until the end of the day. Before the pandemic, I wished the bell would ring as soon as possible so I could escape from the torture of the classroom.

When my classmates walked by, I did not greet them. At the time, I thought it was silly to greet them because I would see them every day. It was quite embarrassing when students looked at each other with fake smiles.

Besides, the lunch at school was inedible because all of the food from the canteen was tasteless.

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But everything changed after the outbreak of Covid-19. Schools in Hong Kong were suspended, and we were forced to stay at home.

At first, I was over the moon because I did not have to study and I could do anything I wanted. I slept until noon and ate junk food for lunch. I threw away all of my textbooks and played computer games for a whole day with my classmates. I thought that was the best way to enjoy my life.

After a while, I was not as delighted as I was before. When I read the newspapers, I noticed that many people around the world were dying because of the pandemic, including other students who lost the opportunity to study forever.

I started to worry that I would be next, and fear tormented me. I tried to escape reality by playing video games, drawing pictures and eating food.

Although these had been my favourite activities, I no longer found them interesting. No matter how delicious the food was, it could not whet my appetite. I deleted all of my games and started thinking, “Do I really like this kind of life?”

After staying home and looking at the walls of my room for another month, I felt desperate and depressed. I could not understand why nothing interested me any more.

I tried to relieve my stress by chatting with friends through social media, but my friends were just as anxious as I was. Everyone felt hopeless because the pandemic seemed endless. When I asked my friends what they would want to do after the pandemic, every answer was the same: to enjoy going back to school.

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Last year, after the city’s Education Bureau announced schools could reopen, I remember waking up early and rushing to school on the first day. When I first stepped into the classroom, it didn’t feel real.

During my first English lesson, I did not fall asleep like I usually did. I felt energetic rather than sleepy. At the canteen, the quality of food did not change, but I had missed the tasteless food so much. When I chatted with my classmates, I cherished every second. Every moment felt like the last time for us to connect. Although we were all wearing masks, we could still see the smiles on each others’ faces.

That was the first time I felt a huge change in my attitude as a student. This year, I look forward to returning to school again.