Disinformation is one of the greatest threats today to democracies and human rights. Digital suppression and misinformation regarding sexual and reproductive health are part of a broader problem: gender misinformation.
Gender misinformation is a strategy to silence women and gender-diverse voices. It is also a form of online gender violence. Gender misinformation has multiple objectives: presenting women as weak and incompetent beings and sexualized objects, incapable of leading; expelling women and gender non-conforming people from public spaces and areas of power; and silencing those who do not conform to gender norms. It attacks not only people but also their collective struggles, trying to delegitimize feminism and struggles for gender equality.
Gender misinformation violates the right of women and other gender-diverse people to health by spreading false and misleading information about sexual and reproductive health and rights.
SOME EXAMPLES:
- A study carried out in Latin America found a thematic predominance of disinformation campaigns focused on gender violence and abortion, questioning women’s right to physical autonomy, as well as polarizing the exercise of that right.
- In East Africa, a Pollicy report, an organization that promotes inclusive digital participation, revealed that in Uganda and Kenya, women politicians and activists face high levels of misinformation and harassment online. This harassment includes the spread of rumors and false news that seek to discredit them and undermine their credibility. In Kenya, during the 2017 elections, a disinformation campaign was observed targeting female candidates, using manipulated images and false statements to minimize their competence and capabilities.
- In 2019, Amnesty International published the research Green Hearts: Online Violence against Women during the debate over abortion legislation in Argentina, in which it identified that 1 in 3 women surveyed had suffered violence on social networks, of which 26% received direct and/or indirect threats of psychological or sexual violence.
- In Tanzania, conservative groups have spread misinformation about sexual and reproductive rights, falsely claiming that sex education in schools leads to an increase in teenage pregnancies and promotes homosexuality. This type of misinformation has a profound impact on public policies and access to reproductive health services. You can read more about these dynamics in the reports Amref Health Africa.
- In Italy, a campaign by pro-life groups falsely claimed that abortion was the leading cause of femicide in the world.
- In Ireland, around the time of the abortion referendum, false information was spread linking abortion to depression, cancer, and Down syndrome19.
