Tackling online gender-based hate speech through a comprehensive mechanism for online media to effectively detect and respond to the issue, and prevent violence and hate crimes.
Context
In recent years, cyber violence and online hate speech against women* have emerged as insidious forms of gender-based violence (GBV). These phenomena encompass a wide range of abuses, from “slut-shaming” and “body-shaming” to brutal and sexualized threats, including the dissemination of intimate content without consent (revenge porn). The rapid evolution of online platforms has created a fertile ground for gender-based hate speech, exploiting anonymity and the persistence of online data. This environment facilitates the spread of hateful messages that can have devastating consequences for victims, compromising their privacy, trust, and integrity.
Despite the growing incidence of this phenomenon and recent efforts to create safer digital spaces (see the Digital Services Act and the EU Code of conduct on countering illegal hate speech online), research on this form of violence is still in its infancy, and the available data is limited and often not disaggregated by gender. This limits the understanding of the prevalence and impact of online gender-based violence, making it difficult to develop effective and harmonized EU policies to counter it and gender-based hate speech specifically.
With this in mind, the CHASE project seeks to establish and put into practice in Cyprus, Italy, Greece and France, a comprehensive mechanism for online media to effectively detect and respond to cases of online gender-based hate speech.
*We understand women from a non-binary approach to gender identity and hence every person who identifies as a woman.
Objectives
- To highlight the different patterns of gender-based hate speech and hate speech based on gender identity as they are expressed on online media platforms.
- To improve access for CSOs/NGOs and human rights professionals to data on the scale and prevalence of gender-based hate speech, enhancing their ability to understand and tackle online expressions and newer forms of such hate speech which often lead to hate crimes.
- To provide access of online media to an ICT tool facilitating the identification of online gender-based hate speech at real time.
- To build the capacities of professionals working in online media in identifying and dealing with cases of gender-based hate speech through a comprehensive practical mechanism.
- To raise awareness among the public about human rights, respect for gender and gender identity, and foster critical thinking among online media users regarding stereotypes that cultivate gender-based discrimination and hate speech.
Activities
- Research on the existing legal framework about online hate speech, the existing detection & response mechanisms for cases of online gender-based hate speech and the identification of all different patterns of online gender-based hate speech.
- Development of an ICT tool detecting online gender-based hate speech.
- Design of a comprehensive mechanism for countering online gender-based hate speech.
- Capacity building of online media staff & professionals.
- Drafting, signature and promotion of Code of Conduct for online media platforms on combating online gender-based violence.
- Awareness raising campaign implemented by online media towards their users and other media & dissemination activities.
Resources
- Legal framework analysis and mapping of existing response practices
- Report on hate speech patterns
- Needs’ analysis report for online media
- CHASE tool
- Rulebook on countering hate speech
- Code of Conduct for online media platforms
- Set of principles for monitoring Code compliance
- Awareness Raising Campaign videos
Impact
- Increased capacities of at least 200 online media staff and professionals in identifying and countering online gender-based hate speech.
- Increased public awareness of at least 50.000 persons on what gender-based hate speech is and how it constitutes a human rights violation.
- Development of a comprehensive mechanism countering online gender-based hate speech, supported by a real-time detection ICT tool.
- Code of Conduct for online media platforms on combating online gender-based violence developed and signed by at least 24 media.
- Increased knowledge of at least 50 CSOs/NGOs staff and/or human rights professionals with on new forms of online gender-based hate speech.
Partners
- Media Diversity Institute Global (Belgium, coordinator)
- Symplexis (Greece)
- Photo Thema (Greece)
- European Center for Human Rights (France)
- WAN-IFRA (France)
- CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION – CSI (Cyprus)
- APLHA TELEVISION (Cyprus)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
- INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR MARKET LEADERSHIP – ITML (Greece)
