Elimination of violence against women

25 November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This year the day is even more important as data and reports show that violence against women and girls intensified during the pandemic.

There’s a pandemic of online violence against women and girls

There is a pandemic of online gender-based violence emerging during Covid-19, and it must be addressed now. The increased domestic violence against women witnessed during the crisis is spilling into the online space, turning the lifeline of the internet into a hostile space.

— Chenai Chair, gender researcher

🔗 Read the article (on Web Foundation)

Telegram still hasn’t removed an AI bot that’s abusing women

A deepfake bot has generated tens of thousands of non-consensual images of women and underage girls on the messaging platform, which is now under pressure to crack down on it. Researchers also found groups devoted to revenge porn and the sharing of non-consensual photos that don’t involve bots.

🔗 Read the article (on Wired)

Oxford Dictionaries amends ‘sexist’ definitions of the word ‘woman’

Following the successful petition of Maria Beatrice Giovanardi, Oxford Dictionaries amended the sexist definitions of the word woman. Other definitions remain — albeit labelled as offensive — failing to satisfy equality campaigners. Maria Beatrice received compliments, offences, and threats of rape.

🔗 Read in English (on The Guardian) and in Italian (on La Repubblica)

Italian state TV’s ‘sexy shopping’ tutorial for women sparks outrage

On the eve of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Detto Fatto — a daily early morning programme on the Italian state TV — showed tips on how to shop for groceries in a sexy way for women. The outrage that followed sparked the broadcaster Rai 2 to suspend the programme, only to play a previous episode containing a lingerie catwalk complete with advice on push-up bras.

🔗 Read in English (on The Guardian) and in italian (on La Repubblica)

What happens when our bodies are digital?

I’ve enjoyed this talk between digital sociologist Silvia Semenzin, influencer Camihawke, and presenter Sofia Viscardi about what happens when our faces and bodies are online. They touch on privacy, misogyny, sex education and more.

🔗 Watch the talk (in Italian).