UNESCO survey of online violence against women journalists

[EwwSprouts]

Thought this may be of interest to some & can't see a thread about it.
twitter.com/UNESCO/status/1316907977283166208

Hmm. What is UNESCO's record regarding recognising the difference between sex and gender?
Maybe a few examples of female journalists who have been hounded and threatened for stating biological fact would be a good place to start. (I know that isn't the focus of their survey, but it sure needs pointing out to them).

I’m struggling with the concept of “online violence”. Surely it can’t go beyond threats online? It’s not really comparable to the real life violence women journalists face like Daphne Galizia murdered with a car bomb in Malta for exposing the Panama papers.

I think "online violence" can be unrelenting and have an impact on mental well-being. As with all violent behaviour it can escalate, in this case to move offline. It perpetuates a culture of targetting women.

But violence is by definition the use of physical force. You can’t use physical force via online methods unless it’s a science fiction movie and hackers are making your house explode.

Im struggling with the concept because “online violence” is a bit of an oxymoron.

Online threats, harassment, intimidation, yes these can happen. But actual violence? Sorry it’s not possible.

Unless you blur and rewrite the definition of violence so that it is not just physical force but threats/harassment/intimidation and I just find that to be erasing and minimising the suffering of victims of actual violence. It’s like having a woman who’s been harassed with dick pictures online claiming she’s a victim of sexual violence and lumping herself with rape victims. It doesn’t sit well with me to conflate online events with violence which only happens offline, in real life.

The Health and Safety Executive's definition of work-related violence includes verbal abuse and threats as well as physical attacks, and employers have a legal responsibility to reduce the risk of any form of violence to staff. That specifically mentions telephone interactions.
Because this is about journalists, social media is part and parcel of their working life and so calling it violence is reasonable.