[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 17, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H1694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CYBER ABUSE

  (Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, right now, millions of 
American women and girls are online, navigating their personal and 
professional lives. Sadly, many will be threatened online or will be 
subjected to terrifying harassment.
  Journalists, academics, and other professionals who dare to express 
an opinion, especially a feminist one, are routinely attacked with 
graphic threats of rape and murder. Women are targeted with sexually 
explicit messages and threats 27 times more than men, and for women of 
color and LGBT women, the rate is even higher. As a result, young women 
are deciding not to pursue certain jobs in order to avoid the 
crosshairs of men who think they don't belong. Others are being driven 
offline, sacrificing their freedom of expression for personal safety.
  A decade ago, Congress made online threats of death or serious injury 
illegal, but these cases are rarely prosecuted. That is why I am asking 
my colleagues to join me in calling on the Department of Justice to 
intensify the investigation and prosecution of the most extreme cases 
of online threats.
  Ensuring the stronger enforcement of laws that protect women from 
violent online threats is one commonsense thing Congress can do to 
ensure that the Internet and the 21st century economy is open to 
everyone.

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