Throughout May 2020, the Online Hate Prevention Institute (OHPI) will be running a campaign to stop online Misogyny.

OHPI stands against misogynistic speech online, particularly through social media. We stand against all forms of online Misogyny such as: rape jokes, threats and intimidation, slut-shaming, cyber-mobbing of any woman to push her out of the discussion, and revenge porn.

Since 2013, OHPI has produced a number if briefings and commentary tackling Misogyny.

Join us by taking action! You can help the campaign in a number of ways:

• Share this article on social media and with people and organisations who would support this work
• Support and share our fundraiser to further enhance the campaign
• Report examples of online Misogyny to platforms hosting it (ie. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube)
• Help us report the items we highlight in campaign articles
• Anti-hate organisations, particularly in the area of Misogyny, are invited to become supporters of the campaign – we need your logo and an article from you that says who you are and your thoughts / experiences regarding online Misogyny.
• Companies and foundations are invited to become sponsors, these funds along with donations will be used to take the campaign further.

About the Online Hate Prevention Institute:

The Online Hate Prevention Institute is Australia’s only harm prevention charity dedicated to preventing the harm to people as a result of online hate and extremism. We deal with all forms of online hate and our work on other topics can be accessed from our homepage. Funds from this campaign will be used to tackle online Islamophobia. Donations can also be made to support our other campaigns planned for 2020, and general donations are particularly appreciated.

You can also connect with us by joining over 24,000 people who like our Facebook page, following us on Twitter, and joining our mailing list.

Campaign Partners:

Organisations that work to combat Misogyny are invited to join the campaign as a partner. Contact us for details.

Campaign Summary

1 May – Campaign launched

13 May – Published Briefing Right Winged or Racist? What Do You think?

• The Facebook page, NSW Conservative Support Page, continues to harbour racist and xenophobic remarks toward Muslims.
• Highly Misogynistic comments were made on the page following an incident reported that involved a 25-year-old Muslim woman who was released on bail after allegedly spitting on a police officer whilst resisting arrest.

14 May – Published briefing Misogynistic Publications on Instagram – Enough is Enough

• Instagram is a social media platform where misogynistic views and behaviours are posted and seen by individuals every day, all around the world.
• OHPI has published a briefing which examines this problem and highlights the need for these posts to be reported and removed.

17 May – Published briefing Alarming Misogyny on Twitter

• A briefing was published which looked at the proliferation of misogynistic content across Twitter. The platform’s ease of use has enabled misogynistic content to be highly accessible and shared.
• The examples are egregious, with many promoting sexual and physical violence against women. Despite reporting these Tweets, Twitter has been slow to remove this content. 
• We implore that Twitter takes a stronger stand in removing this expression of hatred from their platform.

22 May – Published briefing Misogyny Manifestation Across All Social Media Platforms

• This comprehensive briefing has been created to look at the manifestation of misogynist messages on the major social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
• The briefing highlights the importance of removing such content due to the large number of individuals who may be impacted by such messages.
• The aim of the brief is to not only call on the public to report such messages and posts when they arise, but to also call on the social media platforms themselves, to remove such misogynistic messages when they are first published.

28 May – Published briefing Treading Water in an Ocean of Hate

• An briefing has been published which is a personal reflection on the rise of online hate through social media. The author has written of deeply personal misogynistic abuse in their workplace and asks that we all take a stance against online hate.
• The final statement in the article says, “So please, if you see a wave of online hate approaching, join us and take a stance. Refuse to become a source. Refuse to allow the hate to propagate”.

31 May – Published briefing Youtube Misogyny

• We have published a briefing called “Youtube Misogyny” which rounds out our month-long campaign to Stop Online Misogyny.
• While YouTube has taken big steps in the past to limit the exposure of hate speech in videos, there has been a rise in the number comments containing misogynistic and hateful views towards women.
• More work can be done by YouTube to make sure its platform is hate-free and a place where everyone is included, despite differences of opinion.