from particular stigma in the context of structural inequality, discrimination and patriarchy. (1) This fact has been reiterated by UN Women (2021) who pointed out in a report about online and ICT facilitated violence against women that; not only were women and girls disproportionately affected, but women in politics and the media are at higher risk due to their public personas and nature of work. This kind of abuse often becomes worse when women belong to LGBTIQ and other disenfranchised groups. (71) By Nashilongo Gervasius A COMPARATIVE MEDIA FOCUSSED ANALYSIS OF ‘UNDERSTANDING ONLINE GENDER BASED VIOLENCE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA’ REPORT INTRODUCTION T HE internet has created what some observers refer to as the “digital public sphere”. This sphere has become what is all around humanity to date, thereby, reproducing social structures similar to those in the physical realm. Further, the internet has become a space of expansive human freedom facilitating multitudes of opportunities for the media and related industries on one hand, while on the other hand, consensus also exists that the internet and its associated technologies have opened doors to new and reconfigured forms of abuse such as hate speech, misogyny, dark forms of participation, information disorders that have also become the norm. While it is known that the social ills mentioned have always been part of most patriarchal and gerontocratic societies, evidence clearly exists that the internet and its accompanying digital platforms have amplified the occurrence of these dark forms of online participation, particularly disproportionately affecting women and girls. This has caught the attention of international bodies such as the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, who in 2018, highlighted that: …consequences of and harm caused by different manifestations of online violence are specifically gendered, given that women and girls suffer While journalists are people of interest due to their roles, in society female journalists in particular, become targets of the violence facilitated through online platforms, where digitally enabled abusive and manipulative behaviours constitute infringements on their rights and freedoms. This is confirmed by a UNESCO (2021) discussion paper that highlighted widespread instances of online violence against female journalists. (2) In this international study, UNESCO, in collaboration with the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ), revealed that there are psychological, physical, professional, and digital safety and security impacts associated with this escalating freedom of expression and gender equality crisises that are converging in complex ways. (3) A 2021, Meta (former Facebook) supported study (yet to be published) titled “Understanding Online Violence Against Women in Southern Africa”, confirms global positions regarding online violence in the region that ICT enabled violence disproportionately affects girls, women, children and LGBTIQ persons in the SADC region, further indicating that STATE OF PRESS FREEDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA REPORT 2021 19 GENDER AND ICT IN SOUTHERN AFRICA