Kathmandu, April 1
A recent research report says social media are full of misogynistic content against women in politics in Nepal.
Panos South Asia says it studied selected social media platforms, print media outlets and TV talk shows between November 15, 2021, and January 31, 2022, and it recorded 243 cases of misogynistic content against politically active women.
“Of these, 235 appeared on social media, including Facebook, Twitter and TikTok while two cases appeared in the headlines of two news pieces published by two news websites and six appeared in print media,” the report reads, “One case was identified in a daily newspaper and five cases were identified
six in weekly newspapers.”
The report also says negative comments, verbal abuse, hate speech and trolling by social media users against women in politics are widespread. “Most of the posts and comments containing verbal abuse against women politicians were by social media users with few or no followers and most of them are anonymous.”
Social media users associated with different political parties also tend to criticise rival party workers/
politicians/media on social media irrespective of gender, the report comments.
