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  • Writer's pictureManushya Foundation
    • May 23, 2023

#DigitalRights📱The Internet is not equal for everybody!



As #Intersectional feminists, we want to see the internet become a place where everyone is treated equally. We are raising awareness about online gender-based violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ+ people and women. At Manushya, we promote equal rights in the online environment as much as we do in the offline world.

Some key data ⤵️


📌 Women are, overall, at a higher risk of cyberviolence but certain groups of women are at an even higher risk: activists, human rights defenders, journalists, and women in politics.

❗85% of women who are online have witnessed digital violence against other women.

📍In a three-year study of over 15 countries, findings show that Black, Indigenous, Jewish, Arab, Asian, and lesbian women journalists experienced the highest and most severe impacts of online violence.

💻 Online violence against women has a profound impact on women’s everyday lives. Almost 9 in 10 women restrict their online activity which, as a result, limits their access to employment, education, healthcare, and community.


🚩GLAAD’s Social Media Safety Index (SMSI) analyzes LGBTIQ+ people’s safety, privacy, and expression on the five biggest social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Youtube). In 2022, GLAAD found several issues:

  • Instagram has no policy to protect users against targeted deadnaming and misgendering;

  • YouTube does not disclose much information about the demonetization of LGBTIQ+ creators and content, despite it being an issue raised multiple times by advocates;

  • TikTok does not disclose any information about having a LGBTIQ+ policy lead or any formal training in place to educate employees in understanding the needs of LGBTIQ+ users.

Online violence is a reflection of our society’s beliefs and behaviors. If women and LGBTIQ+ people were treated equally in everyday life, online violence would not exist.

✊ At Manushya, we stand in solidarity with all women and LGBTIQ+ groups affected by such violence. We take online rights seriously and we will continue supporting individuals in their fight for equal human rights.


#WeAreManushyan ♾️ Equal Human Beings

👉 While you’re here, have a look at our previous work to advocate for a safe internet in Southeast Asia and combat digital authoritarianism:


  1. #StopDigitalDictatorship Campaign in Southeast Asia

  2. Digital Rights are Human rights informative video, 19 April 2023

  3. Women, girls, and people of diverse genders are at a higher risk of digital harm, 31 March 2023

  4. Freedom on the Net 2022: Internet Freedom Remained Under Threat in Thailand, 19 October 2022

  5. Joint Submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression: Freedom, Independence, Diversity of Media and the Safety of Journalists in Southeast Asia, January 2022

  6. Joint Submission to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: Human Rights Due Diligence, Tech Sector Responsibilities and Business Transparency, February 2022

  7. Joint Submission to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights ‘The Right to Privacy in the Digital Age: Mass surveillance, Digital Contact-tracing, Social Media Monitoring, and Data Requests in Southeast Asia’, June 2022

  8. Thailand UPR III Factsheet on Digital Rights, 9 September 2021

  9. Thailand UPR III Joint Submission on Digital Rights to the 39th Session of the UPR Working Group: Digital Rights, 25 March 2021

References

  1. UN Women, Accelerating Efforts to Tackle Online and Technology Facilitate Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), (2022), available at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2022/10/accelerating-efforts-to-tackle-online-and-technology-facilitated-violence-against-women-and-girls

  2. International Center for Journalists, The Chilling: A global study of online violence against women journalists, (November 2, 2022), available at: https://www.icfj.org/our-work/chilling-global-study-online-violence-against-women-journalists

  3. The Economist Intelligence Unit, Measuring the prevalence of online violence against women, (2021), available at: https://onlineviolencewomen.eiu.com

  4. GLAAD, Social Media Safety Index, (2022), available at: https://sites.google.com/glaad.org/smsi/platform-scores

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