Electronic harassment through the internet and social media - Study on a sample of Jerusalem Women –

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the extent of the use of internet for the Jerusalem women. It aimed to show the prevalence of harassment on the internet. It also examined the level of awareness the women have in the concept of electronic harassment. The population of the study consisted of 100 women aged from fifteen years and above randomly chosen. The researchers used the descriptive approach and their research tools were a questionnaire and a focus group.

  The results related to the questions of the study show that the percentage of the internet use is very high and that the electronic harassment through`` the internet`` has spread greatly. The percentage of the respondents who admitted being electronically harassed or knew someone who has harassed was rather high as it reached 50%. As for their opinions on the extent of the spread of electronic harassment through the internet, 53% of the respondents pointed out that is it widely spread and 41% of the respondents pointed out that their awareness of the concept of electronic harassment is week. In addition, 48% pointed out that they have a medium average awareness in that field and 11% stated that their awareness towards the issue of harassment through the internet is high. As for the focus group, it was noticed that the vast majority (16 women) are aware of the concept of electronic harassment and are conscious of the forms of harassment. As for the results related to the hypotheses, the study showed that there was no difference of statistical significance on the level of (α≤  (0.05   in the women`s awareness in East Jerusalem towards the harassment through the internet that can be attributed to the age, the social status, the educational level, the place of residence and the amount of internet use.

  The researchers offered   a number of recommendations like the necessity of expanding the research on the harassment symptom through the internet and on the necessity of using the social media and information technology in the spread of awareness on the harassment through the internet. They also recommended the necessity of having a technological educational plan for the parents in the forms of parental and women`s empowerments groups. They also recommended the important interference of the religious and media in the holistic plan to face harassment through the internet which can be done during the Friday sermons, religious lessons and media. Moreover, they recommended using the internet to spread awareness towards the harassment through the awareness groups for students and the necessity of rethinking the plans used in dealing with harassment in general and the internet harassment in particular. They also emphasized the importance of concentrating on the school environments and other educational institutes.