Journal Entry #18

Why do you think victims don’t report cyber victimization?

Cyber victimization is trauma. Understanding this, it makes sense that the methodology of handling trauma is a very individual thing. It is true that victims of cyber crimes do typically underreport. This is much in the same vein as, say, sexual assault victims not reporting an attack. Figuring out the ‘why’ is a very complex issue, and like stated earlier, it’s made increasingly complex because we all process trauma differently. Individuals might not report cyber crimes because of embarrassment, or that there is fear no one will believe them. There is fear that they be treated differently when coming forward with what happened. This particular fear is exacerbated when the victim is blamed for what happened to them by their peers. All these fears and associated stigmas often lead to the individual bottling-up what happened and trying to move-on on their own.