In this activity, participants need to decide how they would respond to different examples of sexist hate speech online. They then develop an online action that they could implement to act against examples of gender-based violence.

Complexity: Level 2


Time: 45 minutes (Part 1)
120 minutes (Part 2)



Group size: 6 to 20


Download the handout



Download the activity

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein

Objectives

  • To learn to recognise sexist hate speech and the consequences it has on the people targeted
  • To develop an online action against sexist hate speech
  • To identify different ways of responding to sexist hate speech online

Materials

  • Flipchart paper, markers and masking tape
  • Copies of the Action cards (at least one for each group)

Preparation

Make 4 signs on pieces of flipchart paper and stick each one in a different corner of the room. The signs should read:

  • Nothing
  • Respond to the person who did it
  • Report the behaviour
  • Something else

Make sure there is enough space for participants to move around the room.


Instructions

This activity is done in two parts.

Part 1 (45 minutes)

1) Ask participants if they know what hate speech is, and whether they have come across hate speech online. Provide participants with a definition of sexism:

Sexism means perceiving and judging people only on the basis of the particular sex/gender category they are thought to belong to. Sexism involves unequal treatment of the person on the same basis. It applies to both men and women; however, women are normally considered to be more frequent targets of sexism. Extreme sexism includes sexual harassment, rape, female genital mutilation and other forms of sexual violence. However, everyday sexism takes different forms, sometimes not easily recognisable – for example, telling jokes about blond girls, commenting on the female body (objectifying women), reacting to the way women are dressed (“what does she wear? She’s asking to be raped”), giving women easier tasks in online games (“she is a woman, she won’t manage the next level”), or objectifying women in advertising, etc.

2) Tell participants that in this activity they will look at examples of sexist hate speech. Point out the signs in the corners of the room and explain that you will read out several different scenarios. Participants should choose which of the following options best fits what they would do:

  • Nothing
  • Respond to the person who did it
  • Report the behaviour
  • Something else

3) Explain that after each scenario has been read out, participants should go to the corner which is closest to the way they would probably respond. Tell them to be honest about what they think they would do!

4) Read out the first scenario and give participants time to select their corner. Once they have taken a position, ask a few in each group to explain why they chose that response. Then read out the next scenario and continue until you feel enough cases have been discussed.

5) Ask participants how sexist hate speech affects people who are targeted, how it affects bystanders (people who witness it) and how it affects society generally. You could also ask specifically: how does sexist hate speech affect women/men/LGBT+?

6) You may want to continue with the first part of the Debriefing and Evaluation or move immediately to part 2.
 

Part 2 (120 minutes)

1) Tell participants that in this part of the activity they will work in smaller groups to develop an online action, aimed at raising awareness about sexist hate speech and the ways of dealing with it.

2) Split participants into 3 groups and give them the Action Cards that can be found at the end of this activity. Different groups will have different tasks:

  • Group One will develop a mini-campaign addressing the issue of sexist hate speech online
  • Group Two will develop a script of a video clip against sexist hate speech to be posted online
  • Group Three will develop counter narratives against sexist hate speech online

3) Tell the groups where they will be working. Allow about 60 minutes for this part of the activity.

4) After the participants have finished developing their actions, bring them back into plenary and ask to present their work.

5) Help participants to plan the actions that each group designed. They should think about such things as:

  • Who will be in charge of taking the action forward?
  • When, and how will it be done?

6) Move to the debriefing and evaluation.


Debriefing and evaluation

As the activity may have been very emotional for some participants, start by inviting them to share their emotions, and then continue with the more detailed questions on what participants have learnt, and what can be done in cases of violence occurring. Use some of the following guiding questions:

  • How did you feel during the activity? Did these emotions change during the activity?
  • What was the most difficult part of the activity? Why? Which difficulties did you encounter in the preparation phase, and then during the meeting?
  • Does gender-based violence happen at school or in your organisation/youth club? How is it normally dealt with?
  • How does gender-based violence affect people who suffer from it personally? How does it affect a whole school community or a youth organisation?
  • Have you heard of the concept of restorative justice before? Do you think it could be useful when addressing certain cases of gender-based violence? Explain your answer.
  • Do you think it makes sense to introduce policies about gender-based violence or violence in general in places where young people are (school, youth club, etc.)? What should such policies include? Does your school or organisation have such a policy?
  • How does gender-based violence affect gender equality? Which human rights are likely to be violated in cases of gender-based violence?
  • Do we have a personal responsibility to address cases of gender-based violence? What is this responsibility?

Tips for the facilitator

The activity can be run in a single session, or part 2 could be run at a later date. You could also run either of the two parts without the other: just the responses to sexist hate speech, or just the action planning. This will depend on the learning needs of your participants and the aims you want to set for the activity.

As the activity is conceived (in two parts), participants are first able to explore different ways of reacting to sexist hate speech, and they then go on to draw up plans for action. This order allows them to see that anyone can work to bring about change and fight against hate speech online; and to recognise that it is everyone’s responsibility to do so.

The second part may be challenging for participants. Allow them to be creative, and try not to limit them in their ideas, but be available for support, and remind them – if necessary - not to be too ambitious, but to stay focussed. If three actions seem to be too many, select just one of the cards for participants to work on.

The group working on alternative and counter narratives may need additional support: you could recommend that they choose about 3 examples of sexist hate speech, and brainstorm ideas for how they could respond to these. For further information on using counter narratives, refer to the manual WE CAN! Taking Action against Hate Speech through Counter and Alternative Narratives.The web site of the Council of Europe’s campaign against hate speech also offers inspiring examples of actions against hate speech online, as well as educational strategies for addressing the problem.


Suggestions for follow-up

If participants are interested in exploring further the topic of gender-based violence in the media, you could run the activity “Digital media bash”, in which participants use research and observation techniques to address the problematic use of violence in the digital media.

You could also work further on alternative and counter narratives against hate speech. Using the manual WE CAN! Taking Action against Hate Speech through Counter and Alternative Narratives, prepare a workshop on how to develop narratives against hate speech.


Ideas for action

Help participants to finalise their actions and carry them out online. Think about how they can evaluate the impact of their actions.
 

Source: This activity is adapted from the activity “Confronting Cyberbullying” in Bookmarks – Combatting Hate Speech Online through Human Rights Education, Council of Europe 2014

Complexity: Level 2 | Time: 45 minutes (Part 1) 120 minutes (Part 2) | Group size: 6 to 20
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