“TFGBV impacts the engagement of women in public life through fear, humiliation, shame, and silencing. By silencing us, and stopping us from engaging in public life online, TFGBV creates a withdrawal from spaces of engagement and resistance, thereby exacerbating inequalities and power relations in the offline world.”
What do we know about TFGBV?
So what can we do about it?
One important way to address this issue is to recognise and acknowledge that this is a manifestation of GBV that undermines women’s rights and ability to engage in the workplace. We need strong legal frameworks to address online violence in all its forms; we must address impunity – the perpetrators must be caught and held accountable. A good example of what justice could look like came from a jury in Texas that awarded 1.2 billion USD in damages to a woman whose ex-boyfriend had psychologically and sexually abused her by sharing intimate images of her online without her consent. The judgement read, ‘“The communication from the jury is that you make it your mission to ruin someone emotionally for the rest of your life, then you are going to be facing a judgement that’s going to ruin you financially for the rest of your life.” We need more research to understand how to respond to and prevent online violence and of course we must act now to support women to remain online, and active in public life for the good of democracy and upholding of human rights.
There are significant gaps in our knowledge of TFGBV from the nature and prevalence, to understanding the networked nature of the abuse, to knowing how to respond and/or prevent it. One global study by the Institute of Development Studies suggests that between 16-58% of women have experienced TFGBV. I believe this figure is much, much higher – with most women who engage online having experienced some form of abuse. We don’t know how different types of technology are facilitating GBV – e.g. how do/are AI algorithms amplifying harmful gender norms and GBV? What is the impact of legislation? Regulation? What services are most helpful for victims? What can we do as organisations to support staff experiencing this form of abuse? As an organisation working in the field, we too are grappling with how to support staff when backlash happens – what policies should we put in place, how do we ensure the safety of our team?
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November 2023 | Collective Action Magazine
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