Secondary
Research
Responses to TFGBV:
Regional and Local
Perspectives
Since the early 2000s, digital technologies have
vastly transformed the way the world functions and
how we interact with one another. These advance‐
ments have reshaped social interactions, public
debates, political discourse, and the organization
and mobilization for social change. They also offer
new avenues for innovation and alternative work
methods. There is considerable excitement
surrounding these platforms and tools, highlight‐
ing their potential for driving transformative change
(Asmar, 2020, p. 5)³.
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)—a
region marked by patriarchal societies, oppressive
regimes, economic challenges, conflict, and
displacement—the impact of digital tools on social
change has already been evident during various
waves of uprisings from 2011 through late 2019 and
into 2020 (Asmar, 2020, p. 5). For instance, “social
media has been highly emphasized as a tool for
citizen journalism in the region” (Asmar, 2020, p.
5). During the COVID-19 pandemic, and especially
in relation to physical distancing, the digital space
3 Claiming and Reclaiming the Digital World as a Public Space: Experiences and insights from feminists in the Middle East and North Africa, is a research paper by El Asmar,
Francesca. This paper seeks to highlight the experiences and aspirations of young women and feminist activists in the MENA region around digital spaces, safety and rights.
It explores individual women’s experiences engaging with the digital world, the opportunities and challenges that women’s rights and feminist organizations find in these
platforms, and the digital world as a space of resistance, despite restrictions on civic space. Drawing on interviews with feminist activists from the region, the paper sheds
light on women’s online experiences and related offline risks, illustrates patterns and behaviours that prevailed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
15