Tech giants and governments need to be consulting young people, as the predominant users of social media, when it comes to tackling the rising level of online gender-based violence. That’s according to Rowella Marri, a gender and digital rights youth activist and project officer at Digital Disruptors Philippines, an Amnesty International project that aims to train young activists to promote human rights by creating their own online campaigns.
UN Women defines online or technology-facilitated gender-based violence, or GBV, as an act committed via a digital or internet-based tool that could result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm. Examples include intimate image abuse, the sharing of personal details online, trolling, misogynistic or gendered hate speech, and threats of offline violence.
Data from Plan International USA shows that 58% of young women have experienced online harassment and abuse.
About the author
Rebecca L. Root
Rebecca L. Root is a freelance reporter for Devex based in Bangkok. Previously senior associate & reporter, she produced news stories, video, and podcasts as well as partnership content. She has a background in finance, travel, and global development journalism and has written for a variety of publications while living and working in Bangkok, New York, London, and Barcelona.
