Gender-Based Violence in the Modern Era: What We Need to Know

The links between online extremism, misogyny, and real-world violence are becoming increasingly evident. Young men and boys are being bombarded with content that glorifies violence against women and gender diverse people. Digital spaces where people would go to connect and discuss genuine personal concerns are now being saturated with messaging that seeks to manipulate and radicalize young men and boys into violent and misogynistic behaviour. 

It is these online spaces, fueled by hate, which we refer to as the manosphere. This is a critical challenge to gender justice, human rights, and the safety of women, girls, and marginalized communities everywhere — and to the well being of boys and men themselves.

It is in this context that the MenEngage Alliance’s Gender-Based Violence Working Group is launching a three-part MenEngage CoLab series. 

We invite you to join us for the first session:

Gender-Based Violence in the Modern Era: What We Need to Know

In this session, Ravi Verma (ICRW Asia), Charbel Myadaa (MOSAIC MENA, & ILGA Asia), and Ruti Levtov (Prevention Collaborative) will hold space for activists, partners, and experts to build a shared understanding of these complex issues. Together, we will unpack key concepts, explore the impacts of online misogynistic communities, and strengthen our analysis of the online-offline continuum of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

We will explore:

• Manifestations and definitions of the ​‘manosphere’, online misogyny, and technology-facilitated Gender Based Violence.
• The structural nature of Sexual and Gender Based Violence across online and offline spaces.
• How these violent ideologies impact men and boys while perpetuating harm against women, girls, and gender non-conforming people.

This conversation is a crucial step toward developing effective strategies for prevention and building alternative, positive online spaces. 

Note: We ask for your patience and understanding as we add the profiles of all co-organizers of this event below. Having newly launched the website, we are working on bringing it up to date as soon as possible.