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Abstract: The rise of online feminist activism has been a catalyst for driving attention globally to issues concerning women and their everyday experiences of violence and harassment, both online and offline. The Internet, and in particular social media platforms, have also been places of political struggle and protest for many women who otherwise would have been unable to speak out about public and political issues. At the same time, women who participate in these online fora face various forms of violence-predominantly text-based- including online misogyny. Such acts severely affect women's rights to equal participation in the public sphere, taken here to include the online public sphere, on an equal basis with men. Drawing on examples of online violence against women in politics (OVAWP), this paper examines the phenomena of online violence against women (OVAW) and online misogyny. It argues that both forms of abuse of women create significant obstacles to women's equal participation in public and political life, while also affecting women's rights to freely express their views. Finally, this paper considers the implications of online misogyny and OVAW generally for digital feminism.
INTRODUCTION: THE INTERNET - A WEALTH OF RICHES?
The Internet, and digital media generally, offer enormous potential as spaces for engagement, activism, and contentious debates. The ideal of an all-inclusive, participatory space that is genuinely open to all poses a challenge for global feminism. Online spaces and platforms are notoriously hostile places for women who dare to share opinions or speak out against the crowd. Spaces such as Twitter or Facebook, which are ideally suited to advocacy, campaigning, and political speech, are increasingly spaces where women are shut down and excluded from public participation. Recent studies have shown that significant percentages of women and girls have faced abuse online, especially on social media, with the vast majority of such abuse motivated by sex and gender discrimination.1
Sadly, existing socio-legal structures and systems are failing to deal with this phenomenon and are instead perpetuating the harassment and discrimination that occurs online. Rather than providing a platform to facilitate campaigning for equality, anti-discrimination, and gender parity objectives, the Internet is evolving rapidly into a space which is increasingly hostile, particularly for vocal women advocates. The backlash that such women receive for speaking out-particularly...