Online abuse driving women away from 'toxic' social media

Uks Research Centre's SafeWords project tackles sexist language on social media

KARACHI:

The prevalence of online abuse has driven many women to leave social media platforms, as derogatory language and abusive terms are mostly directed at them.

A recent webinar titled SafeWords: Combating Sexist Abuse in Urdu and Punjabi hosted by Uks Research Centre addressed this issue, with Executive Director Tasneem Ahmar highlighting the severity of the problem.

"In addition to using offensive language, some individuals degrade women by sharing explicit images," she said. Alarmingly, much of this abuse is conveyed in Urdu and Punjabi, often in Roman script, making it difficult for existing social media algorithms to detect and filter, she added.

Through the SafeWords project, Uks Research Centre launched a 365-day campaign titled #PehlaySochoPhirBolo, encouraging both women and men to share their thoughts and experiences with online sexism. This initiative aimed to raise awareness about the issue, providing a platform for people to discuss online safety and the impact of sexist language.

The campaign's core goal was to address the abuse specifically faced by women on social media by cataloging sexist terminology in both Urdu and Punjabi, creating a resource that social media platforms could use to develop a targeted profanity filtre.

Ahmar explained that this compendium of sexist terms, developed in collaboration with social media platforms, represents a pioneering step towards combating online abuse in Pakistan.

"Language in Pakistan frequently reflects ingrained gender biases," shared Uks Research Centre member Shahrezad. "The terms used to describe women are often derogatory and rooted in patriarchal values that permeate society." She emphasised that these terms not only cause harm on an individual level but also reinforce sexism within communities.

In Pakistan, it's estimated that only about 25% of women use social media, often through accounts created or managed by male family members. A significant factor behind this low engagement is the persistent abuse many women face online, leading them to withdraw from these platforms altogether.

Researcher Injie Anis said that while certain abusive words in English trigger warnings or restrictions, users frequently use Roman-script Urdu and Punjabi terms to bypass detection.