Online abuse - The African Mirror

Dec

2023

One in five players at 2023 Women’s World Cup got abusive messages – FIFA

ONE in five players were the target of online abuse during the 2023 Women's World Cup, FIFA said as a package of social media protection tools hid nearly 117,000 comments. The Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), developed by the world governing body with the players' union FIFPRO and launched at the 2022 men's World Cup, was offered to teams at the women's finals in Australia and New Zealand, FIFA said in June. The tool, which has been used at eight FIFA tournaments in the last 12 months, monitors and moderates hate speech on social media, hiding harmful content from the players. Players…

Jul

2022

By The African Mirror

Ahead of Kenya elections, women politicians face more online abuse

NEWS

NITA BHALLA WHEN Kenyan politician Esther Passaris posted a loving tribute to her late father on Twitter, trolls responded with a barrage of abuse over an accompanying "sexualised" photograph of the 57-year-old in a black kaftan walking alone on a white sandy beach. "Papou ... as you traverse the high seas, know that I will forever be your baby girl, #RIPDad," wrote Passaris, who represents Nairobi County, next to the contemplative image in which the sea breeze had slightly exposed one thigh. One user reposted a magnified photo of her thigh and begged her to give men "a chance", while another accused…

May

2022

By The African Mirror

Misogynistic online abuse poses major threat to women journalists

MEDIA FREEDOM

TARA CAREY THE writer is Head of Media at the international women’s rights organisation Equality Now The UN will be commemorating World Press Freedom Day on May 3. The following article is part of a series of IPS features and opinion pieces focused on media freedom globally. Women journalists around the world are experiencing an exponential increase in misogynistic online abuse, which poses a grave risk to women’s media participation in the digital age. This is a grievous form of censorship that seeks to silence women, stifle free expression, and close down critical journalism by undermining their ability to engage freely…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Love, tech and online abuse of women

COVID-19

WHEN Priya's boyfriend posted a nude photo of her online, he told her it would give her a confidence boost by making her an object of desire for other men. Instead she felt powerless knowing that someone she loved had shared an intimate photo without her consent. "He said all these people dream of having you but only I get to have you," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Mumbai, not wanting to reveal her real name. Priya's story is all too common. There has been a global rise in online harassment of women and girls in the past…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Social media abuse drives girls off Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – poll

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

EMMA BATHA ONLINE abuse is driving girls to quit social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with nearly 60% experiencing harassment, a global study showed on Sunday. One in five girls and young women has abandoned or cut down on using a social media platform after being targeted, with some saying harassment started when they were as young as eight, the survey by girls' rights group Plan International showed. "Girls are being silenced by a toxic level of harassment," said the organisation's chief executive, Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen. Attacks were most common on Facebook, where 39% of girls polled said they…