Online violence against women is worsened by gendered disinformation, which includes
false, misleading, or harmful content that exploits gender inequalities or invokes gender
stereotypes and norms.
It also involves targeting specific individuals or groups, for example, female journalists or
other women who are vocal online. This is of particular concern to MISA, as it negatively
affects a significant constituency of its members who are journalists.
Several women, particularly female journalists and female politicians in Zimbabwe, have
been victims of cyber-bullying and harassment, which has greatly affected the exercise of
digital rights by women.
Zimbabwe’s Cyber and Data Protection Act has provisions that deal with cyberbullying and
harassment. Such provisions are progressive as far as women’s rights online are concerned.
With that in mind and as part of the 16 Days of Activism for 2023 and beyond, MISA Zimbabwe
embarked on a campaign to raise awareness on the African Commission on Human and
Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Resolution 522 on the Protection of Women Against Digital Violence
in Africa.
Resolution 522 highlights that: Digital violence is increasingly gendered and disproportionately
affects women, through inter alia threats of sexual violence, misogynistic disinformation
campaigns and “revenge pornography…”
The Resolution encourages member states to undertake measures to safeguard women
journalists from digital violence, including gender-sensitive media literacy and digital
security training.
It also calls on member states to facilitate cooperation between law enforcement and service
providers to identify perpetrators and gather evidence for online harms.
In a related development, MISA Zimbabwe held a safety and security training workshop in
Harare in July 2023, which deliberately targeted young female journalists. Thirty female
journalists drawn from 25 media houses participated in the training workshop.
This came at a time when the country was preparing for the 2023 elections, which are
generally seen as a hard-hat area for female journalists as they have to contend with online
and offline violence and cyber-bullying amid reports of sexual harassment in and outside
the newsroom.
In the past, female journalists have been victims of attacks at political rallies and during
public order maintenance situations, as well as through online cyber-bullying. This has
resulted in young female journalists fearing to work in newsrooms.
The training conducted by MISA Zimbabwe aimed to make the journalism profession more
gender-friendly, especially during high-stakes operating environments such as election
periods.
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