DW Akademie Study Safer platforms, stronger participation
7.1 For media
organizations
7.2 For civil society
organizations
Media institutions must transition from being passive
spaces where GBVO occurs to becoming active architects
of safer, more inclusive digital environments.
CSOs, particularly women’s rights and digital rights
groups, are essential frontline responders and advocates.
Their work must be strengthened and expanded.
1.
1.
Develop and Institutionalize ethical safeguards
– Adopt and enforce gender-sensitive content moderation policies for website comment sections and official
social media pages, with clear protocols for removing
abusive content and banning repeat offenders.
– Integrate GBVO response into existing GBV support
services, ensuring case workers are trained to handle
technology-facilitated abuse and can provide relevant
psychosocial and legal guidance.
– Create internal editorial guidelines for reporting on
GBVO and covering women in public life, mandating
trauma-informed, non-sensationalist language that
avoids victim-blaming frames.
– Establish mandatory digital safety and security training
for all staff, with specialized modules for editors and
managers on creating a supportive workplace for staff
facing online abuse.
2. Build internal support and accountability
– Implement confidential, internal reporting mechanisms
for journalists and staff who experience GBVO, linked
to clear response protocols that may include psychosocial support, legal advice, and public advocacy from
the institution.
– Create safe peer-support networks and solidarity groups
for women journalists and activists to share experiences
and coping strategies in a protected environment.
2. Strengthening documentation and strategic
advocacy
– Systematically document cases of GBVO using secure,
ethical methodologies to build a robust evidence base
for advocacy. Publish periodic reports analyzing trends,
perpetrator tactics, and institutional response gaps.
– Launch targeted advocacy campaigns directed
at social media companies (e.g., Meta, Telegram)
demanding more effective, context-aware content
moderation and transparent reporting mechanisms for
the Syrian user base.
– Appoint safety focal points or committees responsible
for monitoring online threats against staff and developing institutional response plans.
3. Leverage editorial power for change
– Proactively produce and amplify content that investigates the structural causes of GBVO, highlights survivor resilience (with informed consent), and promotes
positive norms of respectful online dialogue.
– Partner with civil society organizations and digital rights
groups to cocreate public awareness campaigns on
digital citizenship, privacy, and countering hate speech.
Enhance direct support services for survivors
– Develop and widely disseminate tailored digital safety
toolkits and resources in Arabic, addressing platformspecific risks and secure communication practices.
– Advocate for national policymakers and legal bodies
to recognize GBVO as a serious crime and develop
appropriate legal frameworks (see 7.3).
3. Foster collaboration and capacity building
– Build coalitions with media unions, journalist associations, and tech initiatives to present a unified front
against GBVO and share resources.
– Conduct capacity-building workshops for community
leaders, educators, and youth on identifying and challenging online gender-based hate speech and victimblaming narratives.
50