Tackling trolls
TROLLS are out there. It is a society-wide problem and the horseworld is not immune. Victim blaming is never acceptable. Understanding this in no way takes away the reality that people also want to protect themselves online. So what can be done?
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that one in five children aged between 10 and 15 years old experienced at least one type of online bullying behaviour in the year ending March 2020 in England and Wales. But it is not just children. A Pew Research Center survey of US adults in September found 41% had personally experienced some form of online harassment.
Recent high-profile cases include threats to jockey Saffie Osborne, which were reported to police, and abusive messages to The Great British Bake Off contestant Freya Cox, targeted for her love of riding, and Swiss Olympic eventer Robin Godel, after his ride Jet Set was put down owing to an injury sustained on the cross-country at Tokyo.
“It was a big surprise for me, I never thought that could happen. I didn’t think people could be so in August.
