澳大利亚非党派组织Women for Election发布的研究显示，性别化网络骚扰正在对女性从政者造成严重影响[1]。该调查覆盖了来自全国各级政府的110名现任及新进女性政治家，结果令人震惊：近90%的受访者曾遭遇过性别化的网络骚扰，超过半数因此正在重新考虑是否继续担任公职[1]。
人工智能生成的虐待内容进一步加剧了这一问题[1]。约65%的受访女性政治家亲身经历或目睹过AI生成的虐待材料，包括深度伪造视频，而98%的人认为这类问题将继续恶化[1]。Women for Election首席执行官Licia Heath指出，这些针对女性政治家的新型骚扰方式最终目的是将其噤声，称"这是民主遭受伤害的时候"[1]。
具体案例表明问题的严重程度[1]。新南威尔士州农业部长Tara Moriarty报告称已收到暴力威胁并向警方举报[1]。州反对党领导人Kellie Sloane因公开批评新纳粹抗议而遭到暴力威胁，最终被迫停用其X账户[1]。
A study by Women for Election, a non-partisan Australian organization, reveals the pervasive impact of gender-based harassment on female politicians. Nearly 90% of the 110 current and newly elected women politicians surveyed across all levels of government have experienced gender-based online harassment, with more than half reconsidering their continued involvement in public office as a result [1]. Approximately 65% of respondents have personally encountered or witnessed AI-generated abusive content, including deepfake videos, and 98% believe such AI-facilitated abuse will intensify [1].
The harassment extends beyond traditional trolling into concrete threats. NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty has reported receiving violent threats that she forwarded to police [1]. State opposition leader Kellie Sloane faced violent threats after criticizing neo-Nazi protests and subsequently deactivated her X account [1]. Women for Election CEO Licia Heath characterized the problem as a deliberate silencing tactic, stating: "All of these new ways to denigrate female politicians ultimately aim to silence them… this is when democracy is being harmed" [1]. About half of the surveyed politicians indicated that online harassment has caused them to question whether they will stand for reelection [1].