Gender is increasingly weaponised in digital spaces across the region, with women activists, journalists, and public figures facing coordinated online backlash, particularly around International Women’s Day mobilisations. In Albania, feminist activists and journalists were targeted with disinformation and sexist smear campaigns, including attacks against reporters covering corruption. In Serbia, protests were framed as political manipulation, while women journalists faced threats, harassment, and coordinated abuse. In Montenegro and Serbia, politically active women were targeted through threats and the non-consensual sharing of intimate content, while in Türkiye, authorities detained online content creators under “morality” grounds. These developments point to a broader pattern of digital gender-based violence, where online spaces are used to intimidate, silence dissent, and undermine civic participation, raising serious concerns for freedom of expression, gender equality, and the resilience of civil society across the region. Read more here.
Source: Balkan Insight
