Kalliopi Mingeirou and Julie Posetti
On behalf of UN Women and ICFJ Research
SURVEY – https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_71CF8WQd5b3RK7Q
We are pleased to invite you to participate in, and help disseminate, a global survey developed by the International Center for Journalists’ (ICFJ) Research division for UN Women, in partnership with UNESCO, under the ACT to end violence against women and girls programme funded by the EU to better understand and address the rising threat of online violence against women human rights defenders, journalists and activists.
Your voice and lived experiences are vital in helping us to map the scale, forms, and impact of this issue, which has increasingly become a barrier to women’s participation in public life, civic engagement, and freedom of expression worldwide.
This secure survey (which takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and is available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Portuguese) was carefully developed by an international team of researchers affiliated with ICFJ and City St George’s University of London, led by digital safety, gendered online violence and media freedom expert Dr. Julie Posetti. It was also informed by a high-level panel of external advisors reflecting diverse expertise and lived experience.
The UN Women-ICFJ survey, in partnership with UNESCO, focuses on women human rights defenders (including journalists) and activists.The survey builds on a questionnaire first designed by Dr. Posetti in 2019 which was fielded by ICFJ and UNESCO in 2020, and results from which were published as part of the groundbreaking study titled The Chilling: A global study of online violence against women journalists.
It defines online violence (also known as technology facilitated gender-based violence) as harassment, abuse, targeted surveillance, gendered disinformation, hate speech and/or threats which are delivered via internet communication technology, such as social media, email, or other digital platforms.
You are free to skip any question or withdraw from the survey at any point, and any personal information you may choose to share, including follow-up contact information, is strictly opt-in. We understand that these are sensitive topics, and we are happy to point you toward support resources, should you need them. Many participants in similar research led by Dr. Posetti have stated that they found the process of sharing their experiences with researchers to be empowering and cathartic.
Please contact Nabeelah Shabbir (nshabbir@icfj.org) or Kaylee Williams (kwilliams@icfj.org) for any more information.
For networks, organizations, and groups helping to share the survey: We kindly request that you circulate the survey only within trusted channels (e.g., your closed networks, mailing lists, or direct contacts) and avoid posting it on social media or other public platforms. This will help protect participants’ safety and ensure the integrity of the data collected.
The survey can be accessed here (in 5 languages):
English – https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_71CF8WQd5b3RK7Q
French – https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cHdWuey3OmPnWom
Portuguese – https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HsrcT5eCJdrWIu
Spanish – https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cBxDSiK7sLWAzIO
Arabic – https://cityunilondon.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6J8QT1ams4YrEXQ
Thank you for considering this opportunity to contribute to vital global research. Your participation will help to strengthen the evidence base online violence/TFGBV against women human rights defenders and activists to support advocacy efforts and interventions to prevent and address violence against women human rights defenders and activists in both online and offline settings.
Please note that this survey and methodology is subject to copyright and it cannot be replicated (in part or whole) without express written permission from Dr. Posetti and co-authors affiliated with ICFJ and City St Georges University, and UN Women.
Warmly,
Kalliopi Mingeirou and Julie Posetti
On behalf of UN Women and ICFJ Research
