Over the past few months, we have seen an increase in shared media, specifically through Facebook and Whatsapp. An alarming rate of shares, attention, and commentary center around material portraying people who have not consented to the recording and/or sharing of the material.

In 2014, images - and video - of a minor were circulated through Whatsapp. It is clear that the material was stolen, then shared without consent. Rather than rebuking the thief and those illegally sharing the material, many chose to focus on the victim. People posted hateful comments which included name-calling, ridicule, and rebuke, often suggesting that she somehow deserved this violation. Perhaps more devastatingly, her deal with a major local company was suspended. The action taken by the company clearly indicated its (abhorrent) position and lack of understanding of sexual violence as it only served to publicly perpetuate rape culture through victim blaming and punishment.

This incident occurred shortly after numerous celebrity photos were leaked by a hacker. Some victims publicly responded, urging the public not to feed into the behaviour - by searching, viewing, and sharing the photos - of those intent on attacking women through technological terrorism.

Photo and video leaks are a direct violation of privacy. Perpetrators aim to humiliate and/or vilify people by exposing private moments of their lives in isolation, creating a story that publicly morphs into the story. Victims are then, by public opinion, synonymous with the story as told by a criminal.

Public responses to cyber crimes are colored by the idea that we - women - are not entitled to our own bodies. We are warned not to take photos or record videos of ourselves, and ridiculed when such material is released without consent. This is not unlike the views on and responses to rape. The onus is consistently placed on potential victims to avoid the crime while resources are not used to discourage perpetrators.

Rape and molestation are the most easily identified acts of sexual violence. Many fail to realize that sexual harassment, nude photo sharing, and revenge porn are also acts of sexual violence. It is often overlooked that anyone sharing such material is participating in the offense. Perpetration is not limited to the creator or original disseminator of the content. Every time we view images and videos, knowing they were recorded and shared without the consent of those shown, we become accessories to a criminal act. Every time we share such material, we become criminals.

There must be a shift our thinking. Ill-gotten, illegally shared material is evidence of a criminal act. We need to take responsibility for the roles we play in continuing the trend of policing, violating, and shaming the people we help to make victims with our selfish voyeurism and zeal for ruthless judgment.

Before we rush to share material we do not own or have rights to, or sentence others to weeks of our harshest critique, we should subject ourselves to a few questions.

- What if the world defined me based on one moment of my life that I never expected to become public knowledge?

- What makes me an expert on someone else’s life?

- What gives me the right to pass judgment on another person and/or their decisions?

- If I was the subject of this material, would I want people to view/share it?

- What if someone shared footage of me sharing this material? How would I feel? Would it change other people’s perception of me? How would that affect me?

- How many things would I have never done if I constantly worried about all the things that could have gone wrong? How would that have affected my life?

- Do I live every minute of my life censored by the what-ifs, shoulds, and should-nots imposed by society? Why, or why not?

It is highly unlikely that, upon reflection of your responses, you will be able to justify your participation in sexual violence or the perpetuation of rape culture. You will find it difficult to be the reason for another person’s shame. You will rise above the childish gossip, name-calling, labeling, and bullying. You may even find yourself respecting others’ personhood, recognizing life for the journey it is meant to be.

As technological advancements continue, so must our quest for greater understanding of the world and the people inhabiting it with us. Social media trains us to see one another as objects and snippets of entertainment. It ’s on us to remember that we are all human beings. Just as we attempt to define people by their status updates, tweets, photos, or videos, we can be characterized by our responses to them.

The most fortunate among us are able to look in the mirror and respect what they see. Your email, social media accounts, and cellphone apps should not tell the story of an abuser or oppressor, but of a person who named wrongful behavior, encouraged others to support victims rather than blame them, and played a role - however small - in changing the way the world looks at women, their bodies and sexuality, and their right to privacy, autonomy, and a full life.

Alicia Wallace is a Bahamian writer, blogger, and social and political commentator. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from St. Mary's University, Halifax, NS. She is a women's rights activist, passionate about public education, community engagement, and the empowerment of women and girls. Alicia is the Director of Hollaback! Bahamas- part of a global movement to end street harassment - and Co-founder of the Coalition to End Gender-based Violence & Discrimination. She serves as the Youth Ambassador for The Bahamas to End Sexual Violence, and is one of 60 recipients of the Queen's Young Leaders Award in 2015. Alicia lives in Nassau, Bahamas.  Connect with her on Facebook.  Or
equalitybahamas@gmail.com