Black women more likely to be a victim of cyber flashing, landmark study reveals

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Almost half of Black respondents said they had been a victim of online abuse while 91 per cent said it was important to them to have access to a safe space for women and marginalised genders online, compared to 80 per cent of white respondents. Women’s rights activist Seyi Akiwowo, founder of Glitch, a non-profit company that campaigns to end online abuse, previously said Black women’s concerns about online safety have been “ignored for years”. “It makes sense then that the need for a safe space online for marginalized genders feels even more urgent for Black women at 91 per cent versus the 80 per cent of white women.” Women of Asian heritage have also reported experiences of heightened abuse based on their ethnicity. Lucy Powell, Labour’s shadow digital, culture, media and sport secretary, said: “The long-delayed Online Safety Bill initially did nothing to address cyber-flashing, despite the rocketing number of women who are victim to it.