London, January 2: A teenage girl in the UK was virtually raped by a group of men while playing a VR game in what is believed to be the first case of its kind. The girl, who was not physically harmed, experienced the same mental and emotional distress as a real-life rape victim. The police are investigating the incident as a serious crime.

According to The Sun report, the girl’s avatar was assaulted by several male avatars in an online room with many other players. The name of the VR game she was playing is not known. Ian Critchley, the lead of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Child Protection and Abuse Investigation, told the Daily Mail that the metaverse offers a new opportunity for sexual predators to prey on young people. He said that the police must work together to stop such offenders and protect the online safety of children. 'Virtual Rape' in The Metaverse! Female Avatar Sexually Assaulted in Meta's Virtual Reality Platform Horizon Worlds, Claim Campaigners.

He also said that the police must adapt to the new challenges posed by the virtual world, where criminals can engage in fraud, harassment, hate speech and threats using digital personas. He said that the police need to use advanced technology to monitor and enforce the law in the VR spaces. Metaverse Gang-Rape: Woman Alleges Her Avatar Was Sexually Assaulted in Facebook's Virtual World.

In another incident reported in March 2022, a 21-year-old woman was sexually assaulted and harassed virtually within an hour of entering the Metaverse. A report from SumOfUs, a nonprofit group that challenges corporate misconduct, exposes a shocking case of virtual rape in the metaverse. The report, titled “Metaverse: another cesspool of toxic content”, reveals that a woman who works for SumOfUs was sexually assaulted by a man in a VR game while other players witnessed the attack. The incident happened in “Horizon Worlds”, a metaverse platform by Meta that lets users socialise, play and create in VR.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2024 12:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).