Source: The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy
Author(s): Joey Shea
Original Link: https://timep.org/commentary/analysis/disinformation-campaign-targets-rape-victim-and-witnesses-in-egypt/
Egypt’s sexual assault reckoning intensified at the end of August when witnesses and campaigners involved in bringing to light a horrific gang-rape were arrested and smeared. Private information of the arrested witnesses was leaked to social media and pro-government websites in what many believe to be a state-sanctioned disinformation campaign.
Online anonymity initially provided the conditions allowing for sexual assault testimonies to emerge, in a country where survivors of sexual assault are often silenced. But while technology offers privacy to vulnerable communities, it can also amplify and intensify gender-based violence. The deliberate violation of the victim’s and witnesses’ privacy was itself a form of state-sanctioned sexual violence.
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