TRIGGER WARNING: This story mentions physical and virtual sexual assault.
UK police are currently investigating a sexual assault case that is the first of its kind: the rape of a minor in the metaverse.
The Daily Mail reported on Jan. 1 that a girl, described as under the age of 16, was in an online room with other users, wearing a virtual reality headset, when her avatar was gang raped by several adult males online. Though there was no physical harm, officers said that she’s experiencing the same psychological trauma that occurs when someone is raped in the real world.
According to Wired, the metaverse doesn’t refer to one specific platform, but rather a way we interact with technology, including virtual reality and augmented reality, similar to the concept of “cyberspace.” Tech Target describes the metaverse as the next iteration of the internet, in which we experience a shared and immersive virtual space.
Though the concept is newer to some consumers, experts are predicting mass growth of these virtual worlds. Research by Pew Research Center and Elon University in 2022 found that 54% of 624 tech experts, innovators, researchers, and developers said that by 2040 they expect the metaverse to be a more refined, full-immersive and well functioning aspect of daily life for half a billion people globally.
Virtual assault and victim-blaming
Psychotherapist and vice president of Metaverse Research for Kabuni, Nina Jane Patel documented her own virtual assault experience on Medium, which is very similar to the UK minor’s. Patel he described being verbally and sexually assaulted by 3 or 4 male avatars who virtually gang raped her avatar in Meta’s Horizon Worlds, previously Horizon Venues.
According to Patel, the immersive experience and embodiment connected to a user’s avatar, which is essentially their virtual body, causes users to feel similar sensations towards their virtual body and environment.
“When you put on a headset and enter a virtual world, you’re…
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