This week, Maghweb, Polylogos, Impact Hub Labs and Young Educators travelled to the European Parliament to present the first EU-wide data collection on online gender-based body shaming among 15–30-year-olds from seven countries (Croatia, Spain, Slovenia, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Italy) and its corresponding policy recommendation.
Joining the organisations were delegations of young people from each organisation’s local context who brought the voices and demands of their generation to the attention of decision-makers. Two students joined us from Palermo: Asia Gelardi (I.N.F.A.O.P.) and Lucrezia Biscardi (University of Palermo). Both students have been trained by Maghweb in recent years on comprehensive sexuality education and gender-based violence prevention programmes. The youth delegations entered into dialogue with MEPs and staff from the CULT and FEMM committees, as well as with local youth workers, activists and young people from Brussels who are engaged in the promotion of gender equality (Sumatra Innovation, Dynamo International, SOGIESC, MUSOGYNIE).
What is the policy recommendation? This document translates the findings of the bottom-up data gathering action into concrete actions—a set of priorities for policymakers and institutions to counter and reduce online gender-based body shaming. It is a bridge between data, stories and decisions.
What has our study shown? Online gender-based body shaming is widespread, it is mostly perpetrated and experienced through comments on physical appearance that perpetuate stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes (e.g. fatphobia). Online gender-based body shaming has a strong impact on mental well-being, relationships and young people’s participation in society and young people are demanding that it requires action—first and foremost through education and training in schools and beyond. See our data visualization at stophatespeech.eu for more details.
Through this presentation in the parliament and constructive conversation with MEPs, Elephant Talk moves from bottom-up data gathering to decision making: the knowledge built with young people is transformed into a public policy proposal and opens a structured dialogue between youth and European institutions to reduce gender-based violence and hate speech in digital spaces.
Elephant Talk has been created by Maghweb in collaboration with Impact Hub Labs, Polylogos and Young Educators, funded by EACEA – CERV (Citizens’ Engagement and Participation strand). It brings together youth networks and youth workers in an international experience of active citizenship combining participatory data collection, data visualization and institutional dialogue to combat misogynistic hate speech and online gender-based body shaming