Following on from the previous article, in which I explored the laws surrounding stalking, allow me to present a few concrete examples that illustrate in greater detail what stalking is all about.

You can rediscover the article by following thelink here to article no. 1!

Harassment is a worrying social problem that affects many people, regardless of gender, age or social status.

Violence – Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

These **abusive **and **repeated **behaviors have an impact on the mental and emotional health of victims, often leaving them in a state of distress and vulnerability. It is essential to understand the seriousness of these acts, and to put in place preventive and supportive measures to combat harassment in all its forms.

A search on the SOQUIJ website for examples of harassment gives us 1726 decisions for the year 2023, 2232 decisions for the year 2022 and 2274 decisions for the year 2021.

I have spent some time carefully examining numerous examples of judgments in order to gain a better understanding of the problem.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you that this confirms what you already know: the issue is extremely complex, especially when it comes to the perception of one versus the other.

However, I am “pleased” to note that in the majority of cases, it was clearly evident that this was unacceptable behavior, such as men who think they can do anything and act violently.

This underlines the importance of combating such behavior to ensure safety and respect for all. What’s more, in my research I’ve also come across numerous examples of tenants accusing their landlords of all sorts of things, even going so far as to add accusations of harassment.

These complex situations require special attention and in-depth analysis to achieve a fair and just resolution, and the judges’ work can’t have been easy.

Example of harassment

  • Cyberbullying on social networks: Someone sends hate messages, insults and humiliating comments to a person on their social media accounts, damaging their online reputation and affecting their emotional well-being.
  • Non-consensual distribution of intimate images (revenge porn): A person shares intimate photos or videos of another person on the Internet without their consent, violating the victim’s privacy and causing great emotional harm.
  • Targeted phishing: An individual sends misleading e-mails or instant messages in an attempt to obtain sensitive personal information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, etc., with the aim of stealing data or committing fraud.
  • Online harassment via multiple accounts: A person creates several fictitious accounts on social networks to harass and threaten another person, using this method to evade detection and intensify psychological pressure.
  • Harassment through anonymous comments and messages: An individual sends nasty comments, offensive messages or threats to another person using anonymous online accounts, making it difficult to identify the perpetrator.
  • Trolling: Someone participates in online discussions with the aim of provoking and creating conflict, by posting inflammatory comments and provocations to disrupt dialogue and generate emotional reactions.
  • Coordinated online attacks: A group of people target a specific person by simultaneously launching verbal attacks, negative comments and threats on different online platforms, with the intention of emotionally destabilizing them.
  • Instant messaging harassment: Someone constantly sends disruptive, hostile or threatening messages to another person via instant messaging, disrupting their peace of mind and online safety.
  • Online manipulation (gaslighting): A person tries to psychologically manipulate another person by making them doubt their own reality, by denying or distorting facts, with the aim of sowing confusion and insecurity.
  • Harassment via blog or forum comments: A person leaves offensive, humiliating or aggressive comments on blogs, discussion forums or online comment sections, creating a climate of discord and annoyance for other users.
  • Online surveillance: A person closely follows another person’s online activities, collecting private information and using it to send unsolicited, threatening or intrusive messages.
  • Surveillance and monitoring: When you’re being followed, your every move monitored with the aim of reproaching you.
  • Harassment through the sharing of personal information: A person intentionally shares personal information, such as another person’s address or telephone number, online with the aim of exposing them to risks or invasions of privacy.
  • E-mail harassment: A person repeatedly sends offensive, threatening or abusive e-mails to another person, invading their inbox and privacy.
  • Harassment through comments on videos or photos: Someone leaves degrading, discriminatory or offensive comments on a person’s videos, photos or online publications, thereby damaging their reputation and peace of mind.
  • Voicemail harassment: A person sends abusive, intimidating or degrading voicemail messages to another person via voicemail applications, creating a form of audible harassment.
  • Harassment via offensive memes: Denigrating and insulting memes, images or graphics are created and shared online to ridicule or devalue a person, using humor as a means of harassment.
  • Harassment by publishing false information: Someone intentionally spreads false information or damaging rumors about a person, which can damage their reputation and credibility.
  • Harassment by creating fake events: A person creates fake events or online gatherings aimed at defaming or ridiculing another person, thus drawing negative attention to him or her.
  • Harassment via fake profiles: Someone creates a fake online profile to harass, insult or intimidate another person, using the fictitious identity to escape the consequences.
  • Harassment through online gaming: In an online gaming environment, a person deliberately targets another player by following them, verbally attacking them or using disruptive behaviors to make the gaming experience unpleasant.
  • Harassment through forum postings: A person posts offensive, disparaging or aggressive messages on discussion forums, creating tension and conflict with other members.

Finally, it seems these days that online harassment and lack of manners is exacerbated in everyday life, but on the Internet it’s constant. Especially in our increasingly connected society.

My aim here is to raise awareness to combat this phenomenon, to promote a culture of respect and dignity on the Internet, and to encourage those affected to report such incidents.

  • Criminal harassment – The laws[Links to articles 1]
  • How can harassment be prevented? [Links to articles 3]
  • How to detect espionage with technological tools? [Links to articles 4 to come]
  • What is “Revenge Porn” or disclosure porn? [Links to articles 5 coming soon]

Get help – Resource for you

The “Educaloi” site offers a complete list of services available to you:

References

Criminal Harassment: A Guide for Police and Crown Prosecutors

Doyon Avocats blog

Website of Société Québécoise d’information juridique.

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