After four years working as an advocate of sexual and reproductive rights, Lorena M., had already gathered quite an experience for the type of insults that could come across her path in meetings and public events. The tough debate with pro-life organizations and religious fundamentalists was expectable, even when a member of these organizations would pass by her on the street. But she never thought her life would get dangerously complicated when anonymous hands hacked the defenders’ network site and began receiving insults and threats of all kinds in her e-mail and social networks’ accounts, creating a harassment and persecution atmosphere in her environment, filled with fear and insecurity.
What happened to Lorena M. has become common for many activists in social and political issues. It seemed that for these women having a voice and independent actions, of commitment to sensitive or controversial issues, or an expertise in issues and areas that are not usually considered suitable for women means inciting the merciless attack of trolls, who whether organized or not, invade cyberspaces to insult, despise and attack others. These actions create a hostile atmosphere whose purpose is to drown the online activism of women and restrict their work in physical spaces as well, restraining their access to information and work over the internet, and threatening the free development of activists.
Read the full blog post in GenderIT.org .