57.4% of female Jordanian journalists have experienced digital violence — survey

AMMAN — A recent survey conducted by the Salam@ programme for digital safety revealed that 54.7 per cent of female journalists in Jordan have experienced digital violence at some point in their careers.

The survey featured the participation of 201 women journalists, 35.8 per cent of whom said they had not suffered digital violence, while 9.5 per cent said they might have experienced abuse in digital spaces.

The survey said that most female Jordanian journalists (173 respondents) identify themselves as media representatives and journalists on their social media platforms, which they believe is “unproblematic and normal”.

Of the respondents who experienced digital abuse, 23.4 per cent said that the abuse only occurred once, 20.9 per cent reported two instances of online abuse and 13.9 per cent experienced digital violence three times.

According to Salam@ national coordinator Lina Momani, “online harassment of female journalists in Jordan occurs in various forms, such as hateful messages, privacy violations and doxxing”.

The survey also highlighted that 86.1 per cent of respondents showed interest in taking a course related to digital safety.

Razan Sami, a freelance reporter, noted that “hate speech and harassment against women, and public figures in particular, is increasing year by year”.

She added that violence, which is usually perpetrated against women in society, is reproduced on digital platforms. However, what makes this platform dangerous is the rapid spread of information and misinformation, Sami said. 

Salam@ for women and youth in the MENA region, a multi-year programme implemented by the Canadian think tank SecDev, seeks to change perceptions and behaviours as well as increase awareness of digital safety. 

The programme aims to build the capacities of women, youth and civil society organisations to operate safely online.