Avatar of a British girl is raped – also possible in Switzerland

The case is making people sit up and take notice: the avatar of a girl under the age of 16 is being sexually assaulted by a group of adult men in a video game. And gang raped.

British police launch the first investigation of its kind.

The girl did not know the male perpetrator, reports the British Daily Mail. The victim was therefore in an online ‘room’ with numerous other users when the virtual assault by several adult men took place.

No physical harm occurred to the girl, who was wearing headphones, as the attack took place in the virtual world. However, it is said to have suffered the same psychological and mental trauma as after a rape in the real world. This is because the game’s virtual world is designed in such a way that the gaming experience is completely immersive.

Research shows that virtual reality experiences elicit strong emotional responses because avatars can seem like an extension of one’s own body.

For privacy reasons for the girl, no further details about the case will be released.

No known case in Switzerland

Questions arise: How should parents, teachers and the judiciary deal with virtual sexual offenses against minors? To what extent do current laws actually apply in the online world? And how can you protect children?

So far, there have been no known cases in Switzerland like those of virtual gang rape in Britain. This is what the Federal Police Office Fedpol and the Swiss Child Protection Foundation unanimously say about Watson.

But: “With the increase in virtual reality, it can be assumed that such cases could also occur in Switzerland,” says Tamara Parham of the Swiss Council for Child Protection.

Fedpol also makes it clear: “In principle, such a case would be conceivable.” The cantons are authorized to prosecute in these cases.

The Zurich cantonal police are also “not aware of any similar case in the canton and city of Zurich,” a spokesperson for Kapo Zurich told Watson.

Sexual violence widespread online

According to Parham of Child Protection, avatar rape is an extreme form. “However, sexual harassment via explicit questions, comments and photos online is very common and unfortunately almost normal for young people.”

Figures on sexual violence against children on the internet show: “We know from the James survey that almost 50 percent of young people have been exposed to unwanted, sexually explicit content,” says Parham.

Laws also apply virtually

And what does it look like legally? “The applicable laws also apply online,” said Fedpol spokesman Patrick Jean. The criminal law relevance is examined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all factual elements.

“The police closely monitor social developments and have been dealing with criminal offenses that may occur in the online world for some time.” Sexual violence in virtual worlds is also discussed in professional circles. The police always apply the applicable law.

In concrete terms: “Article 197 of the Criminal Code (pornography) and all other criminal offenses should be investigated as a criminal offence,” says Kapo spokesperson Florian Frei.

How can those affected be helped? “You can seek advice at clickandstop.ch, report it to the platform operator or report it to the police,” says Child Protection Switzerland.

Media literacy tips to protect children can be found, for example, at the Swiss Crime Prevention Agency.