Algorithms of Abuse: Addressing Online Gender-Based Violence  in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Algorithms of Abuse: Addressing Online Gender-Based Violence in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

As a global leader in social media usage, the Philippines’ environment of pervasive disinformation, paired with a culture of patriarchal gender constructs, foster democratic backsliding and authoritarianism (Kunze et al., 2021). With the country’s low level of media literacy, Filipino people a…

From Persecution to Power: Leila de Lima and the Path to Matriarchal Restoration

From Persecution to Power: Leila de Lima and the Path to Matriarchal Restoration

The Philippines has had a total of 17 presidents. Out of these, 15 have been men. For much of its history, men have led the government, perpetuating the stereotype that men should hold control. Recent election data shows that women only hold about 28% of seats in the House of […]

Groundbreaking: UN Special Rapporteur on VAW states that prostitution is violence

Groundbreaking: UN Special Rapporteur on VAW states that prostitution is violence

In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences examines violence against women and girls as a form, cause and consequence of prostitution. It is a breakthrough report that is harmonious with the UN Protocol on Trafficking 2000, the ACTI…

Online Gender-Based Violence in the Philippines: 2023 Yearend Report

Online Gender-Based Violence in the Philippines: 2023 Yearend Report

Violence against women and girls is an alarming issue that occurs within and beyond the online sphere. The rapid evolution of technology may often mean progress and convenience, but existing digital tools have also lent themselves to the proliferation of online gender-based violence (OGBV).  Though …

CEDAW Shadow Report: Duterte-Marcos Legacy to Marginalized Women (2023)

CEDAW Shadow Report: Duterte-Marcos Legacy to Marginalized Women (2023)

The CEDAW Shadow Report: Duterte-Marcos Legacy to Marginalized Women (2023) highlights the experiences of women in the marginalized sectors–women with disability, women living with HIV/AIDS, women migrant workers, indigenous people (IP) women, and lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women (LBT) women…

CEDAW Shadow Report: Voices, Choices, Participation and Access to Justice: Weaving the Girl Child’s Experience (2023)

CEDAW Shadow Report: Voices, Choices, Participation and Access to Justice: Weaving the Girl Child’s Experience (2023)

The CEDAW Shadow Report: Voices, Choices, Participation and Access to Justice: Weaving the Girl Child’s Experience (2023) highlights the experiences of marginalized girls–indigenous girls, girls with disabilities, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LBT) girls and girls from rural communities–under a…

Online Gender-Based Violence in the Philippines: 2023 Midyear Report

Online Gender-Based Violence in the Philippines: 2023 Midyear Report

As technology continues to define the landscape of our everyday lives, it may also be used as an instrument to bring forth new forms of gender-based violence (GBV) and exacerbate existing inequalities experienced by and disproportionately affect women and girls. Technology-facilitated GBV is any act…

Year-end 2022 report: Online Gender-based Violence

Year-end 2022 report: Online Gender-based Violence

Gender-based violence facilitated by new technologies entails human rights violation against women and girls on a daily basis. Since 2012, the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) has been observing a growing number of online gender-based violence cases. Online gender-based violence (OGBV) are “h…

Midyear Report: Online Gender-based Violence in the Philippines (January 1-June 30, 2022)

Midyear Report: Online Gender-based Violence in the Philippines (January 1-June 30, 2022)

The internet is one of the most powerful and enabling platforms for opportunity, sharing ideas and building community, but women and other vulnerable groups are too often threatened, silenced and censored because of having courage to speak out. Since 2012, the Foundation for Media Alternatives has b…

<strong>Online Gender-based Violence in the Philippines: 2021 Year-end Report</strong>

<strong>Online Gender-based Violence in the Philippines: 2021 Year-end Report</strong>

The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) has been mapping media reports of online gender-based violence (OGBV) in the Philippines since 2012 through the Take Back the Tech! mapping platform. Over the years, these cases have shown trends and emerging manifestations of violence against women and gi…

News Release: Women ‘sound off’ drums to demand for President Duterte’s Accountability in VAW

News Release: Women ‘sound off’ drums to demand for President Duterte’s Accountability in VAW

Leaders and members of the World March of Women-Pilipinas, a network of organizations of women from the basic sectors and with different advocacies, kicked off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, November 24, through a press conference followed by drums and protest performance at …

Online Gender-Based Violence in the Philippines | Mid-year Report

Online Gender-Based Violence in the Philippines | Mid-year Report

Women and girls’ increased vulnerability to violence also manifested online over the past year. This January 1 to June 23, 2021, FMA recorded 37 media-sourced reports of online gender-based violence (OGBV) with the use of an APC-hosted data mapping platform. While FMA found that the number of media …

Online Gender-based Violence in the Philippines | Our Year-end Round-up Report

Online Gender-based Violence in the Philippines | Our Year-end Round-up Report

As people turn to the internet for work, school, and social activities, existing inequalities are also revealed in how people access and experience digital spaces. Women still continue to face violence perpetrated with the use of information and communications technology (ICT), which shows how onlin…

November 25 marks International Day for the Elimination of all Forms of Violence Against Women (VAW)

November 25 marks International Day for the Elimination of all Forms of Violence Against Women (VAW)

Since 1991, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence has been held every year from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW), to December 10, Human Rights Day.  In the Philippines, the campaign runs until December 12. Proclamation No.…

FMA submits report to UN special rapporteur on VAW

FMA submits report to UN special rapporteur on VAW

#HijaAko and what the current data map on online gender-based violence in the Philippines is telling us

#HijaAko and what the current data map on online gender-based violence in the Philippines is telling us

Digital, mobile, and social media have become indispensable to Fiipinos’ every day lives. We are heavy engagers of online media, spending around four hours and 12 minutes on different social media platforms and ten hours and two minutes on being online. Now that the country is facing health crisis, …

How do we fight online gender-based violence in the Philippines?

How do we fight online gender-based violence in the Philippines?

Technology-related abuses in the Philippines makes online safety all the more paramount in securing a safe digital space for women, as reflected in Take Back the Tech Philippines’ 2019 report. From social media ‘trolls’ barbarizing women sharing dissent online and apps utilised to commodify women, m…

Mapping online gender-based violence in the Philippines (2018)

Mapping online gender-based violence in the Philippines (2018)

In light of recent comments made by public officials that treated sexual assault as a mere joke, rendering it “acceptable” and not worthy of condemnation, it is important for Filipinos to be cognizant about the gravity of gender-based violence.  The current patriarchal and misogynistic culture perva…

What you need to know to address sextortion

What you need to know to address sextortion

Jane (not her real name), a 28-year-old woman, received a message from a certain “Peter San Pedro” on Facebook last January 31. He told her that he possesses some of her nude photos. Jane claimed that the man threatened to send those photos to her family and friends if she […]

This day in #Herstory: The emerging forms of violence against women in the Philippines

This day in #Herstory: The emerging forms of violence against women in the Philippines

These materials were produced by the Foundation for Media Alternatives from the Philippines as part of APC’s MDG3: Take Back the Tech! to end violence against women project. Attached below you can find useful materials for awareness raising and training on the subject of violence against women…

Highlights of 2016 Take Back the Tech! Philippines Campaign

Highlights of 2016 Take Back the Tech! Philippines Campaign

18 Days of Activism against Gender-based violence In the Philippines, the 18-day campaign to end violence against women is from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to December 12, International Day against Trafficking. The campaign calls on everyone to t…

FMA joins 1st Senate Public Hearing on Gender-Based Electronic Violence

  The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, chaired by Senator Risa Hontiveros, held its first Senate Public Hearing on the so-called Tres Maria bills – Anti-Rape Act, the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill, and the Gender-Based Electronic Violence, on Decemb…

Mapping of Technology-related Violence against Women

Mapping Technology-based Violence against Women in the Philippines

Mapping Technology-based Violence against Women in the Philippines

Did you know almost 74% of women, aged 18-30 and younger are more likely to experience online violence? And did you know that Facebook (28%) and mobile phones (23%) are the platforms where most violations were reported? Check out this infographic that draws on the 130 cases reported on the [……

Aksyon VAW on the App Store

BREAKING NEWS: The Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), a non-government organization based in Quezon City is happy to announce that Aksyon VAW is now available on Appstore. FMA began in 2012 to map cases on technology-related violence against women (see Take Back The Tech Philippines) in order …

AksyonVAW! now available on Play Store

On February 23, 2016 the mobile application AksyonVAW made its debut in Google Playstore.  But what is AksyonVAW all about? Aksyon is the Filipino word for action, and VAW stands for violence against women. The app AksyonVAW is a project of the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA), a non-governme…