“I believe that through internal advocating for gender equality and female representation at a high level, tech companies and organisations can better challenge the gender-based biases that contribute to endemic online harassment”, writes Bolor-Erdene Battsengel, Founder of the Girls Code Program in Mongolia
The rampant spread of digital violence against women in politics presents a sustained and serious challenge to global democracy. This violence takes many forms of aggression, with the propagation of disinformation on the basis of gender emerging as real and impactful on the number of women choosing to participate in politics. Campaigns seeking to diminish and undermine politicians based on their gender often have larger political aims, such as to challenge the work that they are doing, or to send a broader message that women are not accepted or should be involved in political life. Following a campaign of targeted harassment, I now count myself as one of the many women who have been forced out of politics owing directly to my gender. However, I believe that with a stronger representation of women in leadership roles within the technology sector, particularly within social media companies, this widespread issue can be tackled.
It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone when I write that campaigns of harassment or targeted bullying online often occur at the expense of women. Women, particularly those who hold public positions or are involved in politics or business, are routinely the target of such campaigns owing largely to the social position they attain, and the subsequent public interest their role attracts. Too often women who either conduct their business or choose to live their lives in the glare of the public eye are disproportionately targeted in comparison to their male counterparts. According to a study conducted by UN Women,more than 60 percent of women surveyed do not participate in politics out of fear of abuse or violence. Campaigns loaded with hate and widespread misinformation about women have and continue to prove difficult to stop. Many social media platforms where this information is disseminated lack the appropriate tools to stop such animosity in their tracks. Unfortunately, the reality of this is that many women decide to leave the public and political realms, as a result of these hate campaigns. News reports frequently attribute the decision of many women in politics to step aside due to misogynistic harassment and bullying. Recently, in a case close to home, after organized political attacks on social media, I resigned from my government role.
At twenty-seven, I was appointed as the Chairwoman of the Communications and Information Technology Authority within the Mongolian government. My mission from the outset was to digitise the Mongolian government and public service. On 1 October 2020, we launched the e-Mongolia platform, and at the time of my resignation, over 2,500 government services were registered and had gained over two million users, a staggering 90 percent of the adult Mongolian population. Following the success of this program, the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications of Mongolia was established. I was quickly promoted to the position of Deputy Minister within this department and given more scope to make my vision of transitioning Mongolia to a digital nation a reality. However, this dream quickly unraveled following the spread of targeted misinformation about me on social media. Videos of me speaking at a conference in 2021 were manipulated and spread online, ultimately leading to a volley of hate speech in my direction that targeted me based on my gender and my position within the government.
Upon reflection on my own experience as the target of this abuse, I understand better than anyone the need for collaboration with technology and social media platforms to develop and enforce laws and regulations against online harassment and hate speech. Improving help centres and channels to cope with the size and scale and indeed speed of such attacks is paramount. I believe that through internal advocating for gender equality and female representation at a high level, tech companies and organisations can better challenge the gender-based biases that contribute to endemic online harassment. To date, a globally accepted manner of monitoring the spread of misinformation does not exist, nor are there systems in place to measure the fallout of the harm that it generates. Dismantling the current oligopoly that exists in the social media space through regulations can better help fight campaigns of harassment. I believe that extensive studies that seek to evaluate the impact of misinformation and abuse of women in positions of government can be integral to understanding how to better develop regulatory frameworks.
Through improving gender diversity in both technology and social media companies that, unfortunately, grant space for the dispersion of such campaigns against women, the female perspective can be better understood and considered. Greater encouragement and support of women and girls who wish to pursue careers in such sectors is necessary to help mitigate the online harassment of women and, in turn, strengthen the global democratic will. Until then, both the political and technology sectors have a long way to go before they can bridge the gender divide and safeguard the protection of women.
