Reclaiming Social Media Spaces
In view of the growing threat of digital violence, the project strengthens young people’s media skills to enable them to use social media creatively, safely and without violence. Through qualification measures and networking, teachers, social workers and employees of state advice centres and the police are trained in dealing with cyber violence. Together, they improve state counselling services and legal frameworks through educational and lobbying work and anchor media education in the education system sustainably.
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Background
Digitalisation has also profoundly changed the way everyday life functions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. With the expansion of media-based forms of communication, new forms of violence and discrimination are emerging in the digital space, reflecting existing social, political and economic power structures. The anonymity of the internet makes it considerably more difficult to combat these phenomena and causes helplessness among those affected as well as professionals.
Cyber violence includes forms such as disinformation, bullying, hate speech, stalking, blackmail through fake accounts and photo montages (sextortion). Women and girls, civil society activists, politicians and members of the queer community are particularly affected. The effects range from psychological stress to social withdrawal, self-harm and suicide. Patriarchal structures and the social code of honour significantly exacerbate the consequences for those affected. Victims of digital violence are often exposed to additional family violence or social ostracism. The Directorate for Combating Violence Against Women (DCVAW) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq reports that the majority (70-80%) of counselling requests are currently related to digital violence.
Civil society organisations and the DCVAW offer advice and support for those affected by digital violence, but face technical and structural limitations: a lack of options for deleting digital content, insufficient legal foundations and a lack of resources restrict effective help. Women in particular often face additional hurdles when it comes to criminal prosecution, as fear of social stigmatisation and domestic violence prevents them from taking official action.
Despite the risks, there is little reflection in society on the use of social media. The widespread use contrasts with a low awareness of data protection and dangers. When the topic of digital media is discussed in public, it is done in a dramatised form, sometimes with appeals not to use it.
However, digital violence must be understood as a reflection of social conditions: patriarchal and discriminatory structures continue in the digital space. Combating cyber violence is therefore not just a matter of individual protection, but also an essential contribution to gender equality, strengthening human rights and ensuring freedom of expression. For women, queer people and activists in particular, protection in the digital space is a prerequisite for equal participation in society.
The Project
Against this background, the ‘Reclaiming Social Media Spaces’ project was developed. It builds on the many years of experience of KHANZAD, HAUKARI e.V., the DCVAW and civil society advice centres.
The aim of the project is for young people to perceive social media not only as a risk environment, but also as a space for knowledge sharing, engagement and self-fulfilment. In addition, multipliers receive training, state counselling structures are strengthened and legal reforms are initiated in order to effectively combat digital violence.
To this end, young people are offered workshops at schools, training centres and universities in which they acquire technical knowledge about data protection and privacy as well as social skills for recognising and dealing with cyber violence. They then form peer groups that promote the exchange of experiences and mutual support in the safe use of social media. In particular, a group of multipliers has been trained among the students with the IT department of the University of Sulaimania, who offer technical and psycho-social counselling to people affected by cyber violence.
Together with these students, supporting materials for the project were also developed. These include short films, posters, awareness campaigns and digital formats designed to appeal to young people in a realistic way. The materials can be used in educational work, workshops and campaigns.
Teachers and social workers are trained in media skills and in the early detection and counselling of cases of cyber violence in special qualification measures. On this basis, expert groups are formed that act as multipliers within their schools and institutions, support other specialists and contribute to the sustainable anchoring of prevention and counselling structures. Counsellors from state family counselling centres and police officers working in the field of cyber violence receive targeted further training with technical training and legal and psychosocial aspects.
Another pillar of the project is lobbying and networking. At expert events and networking meetings, proposals for the reform of existing legal regulations and the integration of media education into school curricula are developed and discussed with political decision-makers.
Supporters and Partners
The project is being implemented together with KHANZAD, the Directorate for Combating Violence against Women (DCVAW), the Ministry of Education, schools, training centres, universities, in particular the departments of computer science, media and performing arts at the University of Sulaimania, the Mastura Institute for Applied Psychological Knowledge, the Ministry of the Interior and police units for cyber investigations. It is financed by donations and funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project duration is from July 2023 to September 2025.