A study from SG Her Empowerment (SHE) highlights a critical challenge in addressing online harassment: the difficulty of holding perpetrators accountable when they hide behind anonymous accounts.
The research, based on interviews with 25 victims aged 18-45, reveals four major obstacles survivors face:
1. Anonymity is the primary barrier. The study found that anonymity is the most significant barrier to justice. When perpetrators use fake accounts or anonymous profiles, victims struggle to identify who’s responsible, making it nearly impossible to seek resolution or legal action.
2. Inadequate platform response. Only one in four survivors who reported incidents to social media platforms were satisfied with the process or outcomes. Many faced difficulties reporting, were ignored, or received no response at all.
3. Limited legal satisfaction. Just one in three survivors who pursued legal action were satisfied with the outcome. Many worried their experiences weren’t “significant enough” for legal action or felt the process would take too long.
4. Long-term psychological impact. The constant threat creates a 24/7 state of vulnerability. As SHE’s chairwoman noted, unlike physical assault, where victims can find safety at home, online harassment follows victims everywhere through their devices.
The case of Nisha illustrates these challenges perfectly. Despite enduring two years of harassment through anonymous phone calls and fake accounts, she had to compile evidence herself and try to identify behavioural patterns across different anonymous profiles. This exhausting process ultimately required legal documents to request metadata from platforms.
SHE’s recommendations include:
- Policy changes requiring platforms to identify perpetrators when harassment reports are made
- Better detection systems for users who create new accounts after being flagged
- Verification requirements for repeat offenders
- Platform accountability for failing to act swiftly on harmful content
This research comes at a timely moment, as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in October 2024 that Singapore will establish a new government agency to help victims of online harms, which will act on behalf of victims against perpetrators and platforms.
The study underscores how online harassment creates a uniquely persistevictimizationctimization, where the digital nature of the harm makes both identification and resolution significantly more challenging than traditional offline crimes.
About SG Her Empowerment (SHE)
SG Her Empowerment (“SHE”) is an independent organization with Institution of Public Character status, dedicated to empowering girls and women through community engagement and partnerships. About SHE – SHE | SG Her Empowerment Founded with a mission to tackle gender-based issues, SHE has positioned itself as Singapore’s leading advocate for addressing online harms against women.
SHE’s Comprehensive Approach to Online Harassment
1. SheCares@SCWO Support Centre
Launched by non-profit SG Her Empowerment (“SHE”) in collaboration with the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (“SCWO”), the centre: – Provides a telephone helpline, textline, pro-bono legal assistance and counselling services to support victims or survivors who have experienced Press Release: Pre-launch of SHECARES@SCWO, January 11 11 – SHE | SG Her Empowerment online harassment.
Key Services:
- Helpline Support: Accessible via 8001 01 4616 and WhatsApp 6571 4400
- Pro-bono Legal Clinics: Free legal assistance for victims navigating the complex legal landscape
- Counselling Services: Menhealth, recognizing the psychological impact of online harassment
- Platform Reporting: The centre has made more than 175 reports to online platforms on behalf of victims
2. Research and Evidence-Based Advocacy
SHE has systematically tracked and studied online harms annually since 2023, with each year focusing on different aspects. This longitudinal approach provides crucial data for policy advocacy:
2023 Study Findings:
- Eight in 10 respondents believed online harms would decrease if perpetrators could be identified and held accountable
- Anonymity emerged as the primary barrier to justice
2025 Study Insights: Close to half of the youth polled reported being concerned with IBSA (48 per cent), cyberbullying/harassment (47 per cent) and doxxing (42 per cent). Study: Safeguarding Online Spaces – SHE | SG Her Empowerment
3. Policy Advocacy and Systemic Change
SHE has called for specific policy reforms:
- Requiring platforms to identify perpetrators when harassment reports are made
- Better detection systems for repeat offenders across multiple accounts
- Platform accountability measures for swift content removal
- Verification requirements for users with histories of harm behaviour
Impact on Singapore’s Digital Safety Landscape
Immediate Impact: Service Delivery
Since launching in 2023, SheCares@SCWO has:
- Helped more than 250 people
- Made over 175 reports to online platforms
- Provided comprehensive support from initial reporting through legal resolution
Normalization Concerns
It is worrying that people normalize online harms and disengage from the Internet as a Means of coping with the risks online. A significant number of Singaporeans have experienced online harms, and we know that this can have a severe impact on one’s mental and physical health. SHE study reveals majority of online users have experienced online harms – SHE | SG Her Empowerment
This finding suggests SHE is addressing a critical societal issue where victims are withdrawing from digital spaces rather than seeking help.
Policy Influence and Government Response
SHE’s research and advocacy have gained traction. The chairwoman of the policymaking organizations stated that the study findings are intended to inform government decisions regarding the new agency for online harassment victims announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in October 2024.
Bridging Service Gaps
The current fragmented landscape means many victims don’t know where to turn when experiencing online harassment. SHE has filled this critical gap by providing:
- Clear entry points for help-seeking
- Comprehensive support for the reporting specialization
- Specialized expertise in online harm cases
Broader Societal Impact
1. Changing Discourse Around Online Harassment
SHE has elevated online harassment from a “perceived societal issue requiring systemic solutions. Their research demonstrates that online harassment isn’t just an individual incident, but a pattern that requires institutional responses.
2. Highlighting Unique Challenges of Digital Harm
As SHE’s chairwoman noted, online harassment creates a 24/7 threat environment where victims can never truly escape, unlike physical assaults, where home provides safety. This insight has helped reshape the understanding of the severity of MS.
3. Evidence-Based Policy Development
SHE’s systematic research approach provides Singapore with crucial data for evidence-based policy making. Their annual studies create a longitudinal dataset that tracks the key trends and effectiveness of interventions.
4. Collaborative Model
The partnership between SHE and SCW exemplifies effective collaboration between civil society organisations, leveraging their combined efforts to maximise their impact.
Challenges and Limitations
Scale of the Problem
While SHE has helped over 250 people, a significant number of Singaporeans have experienced online harms. A study by SHE reveals that the majority of online users have experienced online harms, suggesting that the need may far exceed the current capacity.
Platform Cooperation
Only one in four survivors were satisfied with platform responses, indicating that despite SHE’s advocacy, significant challenges remain in securing platform cooperation.
Legal System Limitations
Only one in three survivors pursuing legal recourse were satisfied with outcomes, highlighting systemic issues that extend beyond SHE’s direct influence.
Future Implications for Singapore
SHE’s work is creating the foundation for Singapore’s comprehensive approach to online safety. Their research directly informs the upcoming government agency for online harms, potentially making Singapore a regional leader in systematic responses to digital harassment.
The organization’s emphasis on anonymity as the core challenge aligns with global trends toward platform accountability and digital identity verification, positioning Singapore at the forefront of these policy discussions.
SHE’s holistic approach—combining direct victim support, research, and policy advocacy—creates a model that other countries may study and adapt, potentially giving Singapore soft power influence in regional digital safety initiatives.
Through systematic documentation of victim experiences and policy gaps, SHE is building the evidence base necessary for Singapore to develop world-class digital safety infrastructure that balances user protection with privacy rights.
SG Her Empowerment: Transforming Singapore’s Response to Online Harassment
An In-Depth Review of Singapore’s Leading Digital Safety Advocate and Its Impact on National Policy
Executive Summary
SG Her Empowerment (SHE) has emerged as Singapore’s most influential organization addressing online harassment, fundamentally reshaping the nation’s understanding and response to digital harms. Through its comprehensive approach, which combines direct victim support, rigorous research, and strategic policy advocacy, SHE has not only assisted hundreds of victims but also influenced government policy at the highest levels, contributing to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s October 2024 announcement of a new national agency for victims of online harms.
The Genesis of SHE: Filling a Critical Gap
When SHE launched its systematic approach to online harassment in 2023, Singapore lacked a comprehensive support system for victims of digital harm. The fragmented landscape left victims navigating complex reporting processes across multiple platforms, legal systems, and support services, which often required specialized expertise and knowledge.
SHE’s formation as an Institution of Public Character marked a pivotal moment in Singapore’s digital evolution. Recognized that online harassment wasn’t simply a technological problem requiring technological solutions, but a complex social issue demanding multifaceted intervention combining immediate victim support, long-term research, and systemic policy change.
SHE’s Comprehensive Support Architecture
SheCares@SCWO: Singapore’s First Specialised Online Harm Centre
The centrepiece of SHE’s operations, SheCares@SCWO, launched in collaboration with the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, represents Singapore’s first comprehensive support centre specifically designed for victims of online harassment. This pioneering initiative has established new standards for victim-centredered digital safety support.
Service Integration Model:
- 24/7 Helpline Access: The centre’s helpline (8001 01 4616) and WhatsApp service (6571 4400) provide immediate crisis intervention and guidance
- Pro-Bo Legal Specialized legal clinics offer free consultations and representation, addressing the significant barrier of legal costs that previously prevented many victims from seeking help. ing justice
- MenHealth recognises the impact of online harassment and offers specialised counselling services that understand the 24/7 nature of digital threats.
- Platform Liaison Services: Acting as intermediaries between victims and social media platforms, the centre has made over 175 formal reports, leveraging institutional credibility to improve response rates
Research Excellence: Building Singapore’s Evidence Base
SHE’s commitment to evidence-based advocacy sets it apart from traditional victim organizations. Since SHE has conducted annual comprehensive studies, each focusing on different aspects of online harassment to build a longitudinal understanding of the problem’s evolution.
2023 Research Breakthrough: The inaugural study revealed that 80% of respondents believed online harms would decrease if perpetrators could be identified and held accountable. This finding became foundational to SHE’s policy advocacy, directly informing their calls for platform accountability measures.
2025 Research Innovation: The latest study, released on May 2, represents Singapore’s most comprehensive examination of victim experiences. Through in-depth interviews with 25 individuals aged 18-45, the research identified four critical barriers to justice:
- Anonymity as the Primary Obstacle: The study quantified what victims had long experienced – that anonymous perpetrators create an insurmountable barrier to accountability
- Platform Response Inadequacy: Only 25% of victims reporting to platforms were satisfied with outcomes, revealing systematic failures in current reporting mechanisms
- Legal System Limitations: With only 33% of those pursuing legal action satisfied with results, the research highlighted gaps in existing legal frameworks
- PsyNormalization: The concerning trend of victims accepting online harassment as inevitable, leading to digital withdrawal rather than help-seeking
Impact on Singapore’s Digital Safety Landscape
Policy Influence at the Highest Levels
SHE’s research has achieved remarkable policy penetration, directly influencing national decision-making. Stefanie Yuen-Thio, the chairwoman of the organization, explicitly stated that their 2025 study findings were designed to inform government decisions about the new online harms agency announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
This direct line from grassroots research to national policy represents a significant achievement in Singapore’s typically top-down policy environment. She has successfully positioned herself as the authoritative voice on online harassment, with government officials regularly consulting her research for policy development.
Reshaping Public Understanding
Beyond direct service provision, SHE has fundamentally altered Singapore’s discourse around online harasorganizationrganization has successfully reframed online harassment from individual “cyberbullying” incidents to systematic digital violence requiring institutional responses.
Key Conceptual Shifts:
- From Individual to Systemic: SHE’s research demonstrates that online harassment follows patterns requiring institutional, not just individual, responses
- 24/7 ThrRecognition organization has highlighted how digital harassment creates constant vulnerability, unlike physical cr,imes where victims can find safety at home
- Platform Accountability: SHE has shifted focus from behaviour modification to platform responsibility for creating safer digital environments
Creating New Standards for Victim Support
SheCares@SCWO has established new benchmarks for comprehensive victim support in Singapore. The centre’s holistic approach, combining immediate crisis intervention, ongoing support, and systemic advocacy, influenced the conceptualization of victim services.
Innovation in Service Delivery:
- Evidence Compilation ARecognizingRecognizing that victims often struggle to document harassment across multiple platforms, the centre provides systematic evidence gathering support
- Cross-Platform Reporting: Rather than requiring victims to navigate multiple reporting systems independently, the centre coordinates reports across platforms
- Legal Process Navigation: The centre’s legal clinics don’t just provide representation but educate victims about their options, empowering informed decision-making
Quantifying SHE’s Impact
Direct Service Metrics
Since launching in 2023, SheCares@SCWO has:
- Assisted 250+ individuals with comprehensive support services
- Filed 175+ platform reports on behalf of victims, achieving higher response rates than individual reporting
- Provided hundreds of hours of pro bono legal consultation
- Decisive specialized counselling addressing the unique psychological impacts of online harassment
Systemic Change Indicators
Research Influence:
- Government officials regularly cite SHE’s research in policy discussions
- Media coverage of online harassment now routinely references SHE’s findings
- Academic institutions collaborate with SHE on digital safety research
Policy Develoorganization’s
- Recommendations for platform accountability measures are being incorporated into regulatory discussions.
- SHE’s anonymity identification proposals are influencing platform policy negotiations
- The centre’s comprehensive support model is being studied for a national agency. development
A Victim’s Journey: Sarah’s Story
Names and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy
Sarah Chen, a 28-year-old marketing professional, never imagined that ending a toxic relationship would lead to two years of relentless digital harassment. What began as angry text messages from her ex-boyfriend quickly escalated into a sophisticated campaign of psychological terror that would ultimately bring her to SHE’s door.
The Escalation
“It started small,” Sarah recalls during her interview at SheCares@SCWO’s discreet office space. “He created fake Instagram accounts to follow me and my friends. I blocked them, but new ones kept appearing.”
Within weeks, the harassment expanded across platforms. Anonymous accounts began posting Sarah’s personal information on online forums, tagged her workplace in defamatory posts, and sent threatening messages to her family members. The perpetrator’s digital literacy became apparent as he expertly navigated privacy settings, used VPNs to mask his location, and created convincing fake profiles to befriend Sarah’s acquaintances.
“The worst part was the photos,” Sarah says, her voice barely above a whisper. “He had taken intimate photos during our relationship without my knowledge. When I tried to break contact completely, he threatened to share them with my colleagues and family.”
The Isolation
For months, Sarah tried to handle the situation alone. She reported accounts to Instagram, Facebook, and TikToktypicallyly receiving automated responses regarding “community guidelines” without any meaningful action. When she contacted police, she was told that since no physical threats were made, her case was “low priority.”
“I felt like I was going crazy,” Sarah explains. “Everyone kept telling me to ‘just ignore it’ or ‘stay off social mediHowever, my career requires an online presence, and he is damaging my professional reputation. I couldn’t just disappear from the Internet.”
The psychological impact was devastating. Sarah began experiencing panic attacks when her phone buzzed, stopped sleeping through the night, and found herself constantly checking over her shoulder in public. Her work performance suffered as she spent hours each day documenting harassment and trying to get posts removed.
“I started thinking maybe this was just my life now,” she admits. “Maybe this was the price women paid for normalizing something that was destroying me.”
Finding SHE
Sarah discovered SheCares@SCWO through a friend who had seen their advocacy work in local media. Sceptically, almost didn’t make the call.
The organization could help where others had failed. The intake specialist didn’t immediately start giving me advice,” Sarah remembers. “She just listened. For the first time in months, someone believed that what I was experiencing was serious and unacceptable.”
The SHE Difference
What distinguished SHE’s approach was its comprehensive understanding of the complexity of online harassment. Rather than treating Sarah’s case as isolated incidents, the surecognirecognised the systematic nature of her ex-boyfriend’s campaign.
Strategic Documentation: The organisation organises two years of scattered evidence into a coherent and legally sound narrative. Staff members trained in digital evidence collection ensured that screenshots, URLs, and metadata were adequately preserved for potential legal proceedings.
Platform Advocacy: Instead of Sarah repeatedly filing individual reports that were ignored, SheCares@SCWO leveraged its institutional relationship with platforms to escalate her case. Within two weeks, they had successfully removed multiple accounts and posts that had persisted for months despite Sarah’s individual reporting efforts.
Legal Pathways: The pro-bono legal clinic evaluated Sarah’s options under Singapore’s Protection from Harassment Act (POHA), Cybersecurity Act, and relevant criminal statutes. Rather than immediately filing complaints, lawyers worked with Sarah to develop a comprehensive plan, thereby maximizing the chances of success.
Psychological Support: The centre’s counselling services addressed the specific trauma of online harassment. “The counsellor understood that I couldn’t just ‘log off,'” Sarah explains. “She helped me develop coping strategies that didn’t require disappearing from digital spaces.”
The Resolution
With SHE’s support, Sarah obtained a POHA order against her ex-boyfriend within three months of engaging their services. More importantly, the systematic documentation process revealed patterns that helped identify the perpetrator across multiple anonymous accounts, something Sarah couldn’t have achieved alone.
“It wasn’t just about stopping him,” Sarah reflects. “SHE helped me understand that what happened to me was part of a bigger pattern, and that by speaking up, I was helping other women who might face similar situations.”
The Ripple Effect
Sarah’s case became part of SHE’s research database, contributing anonymized data that informs policy recommendations. Her experience with platform reporting difficulties supported SHE’s advocacy for improved corporate accountability measures.
“When I see news about the government creating a new agency for online harassment victims, I know that experiences like mine helped shape that decision,” Sarah says. “SHE didn’t just help me individually – they made my suffering meaningful by using it to prevent others from going through the same thing.”
Recovery and Advocacy
Two years after first contacting SHE, Sarah has become an informal advocate for other victims. She speaks at workshops, shares her story (anonymously) for research purposes, and others recognize when online harassment crosses legal lines.
“I’m not the same person I was before this happened,” Sarah acknowledges. “But I’m also not the broken person I was when I first called the helpline. SHE helped me reclaim my digital life and my sense of agency.”
Challenges and Future Directions
Scale Limitations
Despite its success, SHE faces significant capacity constraints. With hundreds of Singaporeans experiencing online harasorganization’sanization’s current resources can only serve a fraction of those needing help. The upcoming government agency represents an opportunity to scale effective interventions, but also raises questions about maintaining SHvictim-centredered approach within bureaucratic structures.
Platform Cooperation Challenges
While SHE has achieved better platform response rates than individual reporting, fundamental challenges remain. International platforms often lack Singapore-specific policies, and response times vary dramatically based on platform priorities rather than the severity of the harm.
Legal System Evolution
Singapore’s legal framework, although more comprehensive than that of any other country, still struggles to address the borderless nature of online harassment. SHE’s advocacy for legal reform continues, but systemic change requires time and political will.
Normalization Concerns
SHE’s research reveals a normalization of online harassment, particularly among young Singaporean organizations that face the dual challenge of providing immediate victim support while also conducting broader education.
Regional and Global Significance
Singapore as a Model
SHE’s comprehensive approach has attracted international attention, with delegations from other Southeast Asian countries studying the SheCares@SCWO model. Singapore’s combination of a strong rule of law, robust technological infrastructure, and active civil society engagement creates conditions that other nations seek to replicate.
Research Contributions
SHE’s longitudinal research contributes to global understanding of online harassment patterns. Their findings about anonymity, platform responses, and victim experiences inform international policy discussions and academic research.
Policy Innovation
Singapore’s development of a national online harms agency, informed by SHE’s research, represents a policy innovation that other countries closely monitor. The integration of civil society expertise into government policy development offers a model for evidence-based digital safety governance.
Conclusion: Transforming Digital Safety in Singapore
SG Her Empowerment has achieved something remarkable in Singapore’s policy landscape: translating grassroots victim advocacy into national policy influence while maintaining focus on individuals. The organization has demonstrated that effective responses to online harassment require integration across service delivery, research, and policy advocacy efforts.
Through SheCares@SCWO, SHE has created Singapore’s gold standard for victim support services, a specialized intervention that can achieve outcomes that fragmented approaches cannot. Their research has established Singapore as a regional leader in understanding online harassment patterns and the needs of victims.
Perhaps most significantly, SHE has succeeded in reframing online harassment from a private problem to a public issue. Evidence-based advocacy has contributed to a national recognition that digital safety requires institutional responses, not just individual resilience.
As Singapore prepares to launch its national online harms agency in 2026, SHE’s pioneering work provides the foundation for what could become a world-leading comprehensive response to digital harasorganizationrganization has not only transformed individual lives like Sarah’s but has fundamentally altered Singapore’s approach to digital safety, creating a legacy that will benefit future generations of Singaporeans navigating an increasingly connected world.
The success of SG Her Empowerment demonstrates that civorganizationsganizations can drive meaningful policy change when they combine compassionate victim support with rigorous research and strategic advocacy. In doing so, they have made Singapore safer for everyone who participates in digital life.
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