Addis Ababa – A study published by the Center for Information and Resilience (CIR) reveals the prevalence of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (GBV) targeting women in public discourse in Ethiopia. became.
This multi-part study combined interviews and analysis of social media data to explore the forms, motivations and impact of online abuse against women.
The first part of the report interviewed 14 prominent Ethiopian women with roles in the media and civil society about their experiences with online harassment and abuse. According to collected testimonies, abuse often reflected existing gender stereotypes and discrimination against women's public roles.
One interviewee said, “The comments were malicious and criticized my work, appearance, and gender,'' and “I felt harassed, devalued, and started to question my worth.'' added.
The second part of the study analyzed more than 2,000 social media posts across multiple platforms and languages. Facebook has been identified as a major platform for such abuse, with women reporting harassment across both private and public social media channels.
A recent report by the Ethiopian Media Authority highlighted the threat posed by the spread of hate speech and false information on social media platforms.
The report identifies that Facebook is the main platform for text-based hate speech, while hateful content on Telegram is primarily spread through a combination of images and text.
CIR research has found that misogynistic hate speech directed at women frequently uses gender stereotypes, ridicule and suggestions of inferiority, rather than explicit threats or offensive language. did.
“Gender-based abuse is so pervasive that it has become invisible and normalized,” the study said.
Data showed that hate speech intensifies when gender interacts with other identities such as ethnicity and religion, and increased during periods of conflict in regions such as Amhara and Oromia. Overall, the report's findings suggest that the current societal biases that enable gender-based discrimination have migrated online and are manifesting as a technology-facilitated epidemic of GBV.
This research highlights the real-world impact of online abuse. More than 78% of women interviewed reported experiencing fear and anxiety due to online abuse.
Some women suffered damage to their reputations, while others withdrew from online discussions and platforms to protect themselves. Many also say that psychological issues such as trauma, depression, and stress are having a negative impact on their social, family, and professional lives.
Surprisingly, the study also uncovered examples of online abuse leading to offline violence. Several women described incidents of physical assault and arrest, and one interviewee had to flee the country because her safety was threatened.
To address this issue, CIR has created a dictionary of over 2,000 inflammatory words used in abusive content, aimed at helping social media platforms moderate content across Ethiopia's numerous languages. has been developed.
They called for efforts from government policies, civil society initiatives, and technology companies to better combat gender-based violence online and promote safer digital spaces for women's public participation. as
