Although there is growing awareness of the impact on technology-based violence globally, there is little research on the different ways it can manifest. This report looks at how women are discussed on Facebook, a platform used by over 6 million Sri Lankans regularly. The report also includes qualitative research in the form of focus group discussions conducted with members of the Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (LBT) community on their experiences relating to technology-based violence, as well as through interviews with female politicians and activists outside Colombo.
In order to arrive at a better understanding of the issue, 52 Facebook pages were monitored over a period of 6 months in English, Sinhala and Tamil. Apart from meme pages and public Facebook groups dedicated to specific special interests or hobbies, the pages monitored included those of public figures such as politicians and local celebrities.
What emerged was a clear pattern of speech that was sexist, or objectified, harassed or otherwise targeted women and members of the LBT community. The non-consensual dissemination of intimate photos and videos was another disturbing trend found in the lead-up to this study, with entire pages dedicated to such content, or alternatively linking to such content on third-party websites. The findings of this report indicate the normalisation of sexist commentary, escalating to and including violence against women and LBT communities, both online and offline.
Research and writing for this report was carried out by Sachini Perera (Ghosha) and Raisa Wickrematunge (Centre for Policy Alternatives). Amalini De Sayrah (Centre for Policy Alternatives) conducted monitoring in English and Sinhala, data visualisation and formatting for this report and Mahishaa Balraj (Hashtag Generation) conducted social media monitoring in Tamil for the research. This report also received input from Sanjana Hattotuwa, founding editor of Groundviews. Thilini Perera designed the cover of the report.
The researchers are grateful to all the women activists, politicians, journalists and others who shared their experiences and insights for this study.
Download the executive summary and recommendations here.
Download the full report here.
