By Modhi Al-Zahrani
IN the last few years, we have heard stories of women being exploited and blackmailed. Such stories did not garner public attention in the past because the media for one reason or another did not cover them.
I am talking about women who get involved in relationships with men through social media. Most of these women end up being sexually or psychologically exploited by abusive men. Some of these women enter into such relationships in the hope that the relationship will lead to marriage. They, however, get blackmailed.
I do not want to focus on the number of young women who have been exploited by men via social media or about the penalties that are in place through cybercrime law, although such laws should be extensively covered in the media as they act as a deterrent. Women should realize that the law does not protect fools.
Such relationships do not happen or develop without a woman’s consent. Women are to blame as well. We cannot always say that women are victims and men are the ones who exploited and blackmailed them. In fact, most of the women who start such relationships lodge official complaints after they feel that the relationship has taken a dangerous turn and their reputation is at risk. It is only then that women turn to the authorities for help. Most men would not have done what they did if women had not given them the green light to do so.
More campaigns should be launched to raise public awareness about such relationships and the associated dangers. New forms of electronic exploitation have lately emerged and pose a great danger to society and national security. Campaigns should target mainly young men and women and explain to them the dangers of such relationships.
It is always easy to exploit women who were brought up in broken homes because they have emotional voids that need to be filled. Also, women who have undergone failed marriages can easily be exploited. Any woman who believes deep inside that she does not have the right to have any rights will be easily abused because she does not have self-esteem. Such women can pose a great danger to society because they will raise weak children who do not have self-confidence.
