--- title: "Campaign Against Gender-Based Hate Speech on Facebook - Activists Win!" date: 2013-05-29T23:20:32-04:00 author: OBOS Admin canonical_url: "https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/campaign-against-gender-based-hate-speech-on-facebook-activists-win" section: Blog (Archive) --- [Donate](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/donate) [From the Archives of Our Bodies, Our Blog](/blog)# Campaign Against Gender-Based Hate Speech on Facebook - Activists Win! By Rachel Walden • May 29, 2013 Please note: This entry -- originally posted at [Our Bodies, Our Blog](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog) -- has not been updated since the publication date listed above. [![#FBrape campaign](https://assets.ourbodiesourselves.org/images/blog-archive/fbrape-campaign-382x300.png "#fbrape campaign")](http://womenactionmedia.org/facebookaction/)Last week, [Women, Action and the Media](http://womenactionmedia.org/ "Women, Action & the Media") (WAM!), [The Everyday Sexism Project](http://www.everydaysexism.com/ "Everyday Sexism Project"), and writer/activist [Soraya Chemaly](http://sorayachemaly.tumblr.com/ "Soraya Chemaly on tumblr") -- with the backing of more than 100 organizations, including Our Bodies Ourselves -- issued an [open letter to Facebook](http://www.womenactionmedia.org/facebookaction/open-letter-to-facebook/ "Open Letter to Facebook") calling for the social media giant to address hate speech targeted at girls and women. Facebook pages that had been allowed, despite the company's existing anti-violence [content policy](https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards "Facebook Community Standards"), featured depictions of men kicking "sluts," images of beaten and restrained women, and numerous rape jokes. [A link to examples is provided on this WAM! page](http://www.womenactionmedia.org/facebookaction/examples/ "examples, from Facebook, of speech andLink to images encouraging and/or making light of violence against women"). Smartly, the [\#FBrape](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23fbrape "Twitter search on hashtag #FBrape") campaign asked supporters to contact advertisers whose ads appear alongside this content, noting that "advertisers should be aware that their brands will appear in positions that sponsor content that mocks, trivializes or promulgates gendered violence." Campaign leaders also emphasized that the existing reporting functions were insufficient, [providing clear examples](https://twitter.com/womenactmedia/status/337957019644481536 "One of many tweets at Facebook showing how the current policy isn't working") where Facebook moderators failed to remove reported content. Meanwhile, we have witnessed instances in which pages created by women that feature photos of moms breastfeeding or health information graphics [have been banned](http://www.womenactionmedia.org/facebookaction/faq/#q8 "See #3 in this FAQ for examples"). [Some companies](http://www.womenactionmedia.org/facebookaction/campaign-wins-updates/ "Companies who agreed to pull ads") responded positively, agreeing to pull their ads from Facebook until it takes real steps to address and remove pages that promote gender-based hate speech. Other companies, [including Dove](http://www.womenactionmedia.org/cms/assets/uploads/2013/05/Dove1.jpg "An email from Dove customer service"), said that while they object to the content, they could not control placement of their ads -- which is why better action on Facebook's part is necessary. On Tuesday afternoon, after supporters sent more than 60,000 tweets and 5,000 emails to advertisers and Facebook, [Facebook made an official response to the campaign](https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-safety/controversial-harmful-and-hateful-speech-on-facebook/574430655911054 "Controversial, Harmful and Hateful Speech on Facebook"), committing to the following actions: - - Reviewing their hate speech standards and working with representatives of the campaign coalition and others for input - Updating their training for staff members who evaluate reports of hate speech - Increasing accountability for content creators - Establishing more formal and direct lines of communications with representatives of groups working on this issue You can read the delighted [response from the campaign organizers](http://www.womenactionmedia.org/fbagreement/ "response from organizers"), along with [lots of media coverage](http://www.womenactionmedia.org/facebookaction/media-coverage/ "#FBrape campaign media coverage, U.S. and international"). And, hey, the campaign made [The New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/business/media/facebook-says-it-failed-to-stop-misogynous-pages.html?ref=media "Facebook Says It Failed to Bar Posts With Hate Speech") -- the business section, no less, rather than being placed alongside more "lifestyle"-oriented content where stories that affect women often appear. Big congrats to WAM!, Everyday Sexism, Chemaly, and everyone who worked to call attention to this issue. One look at the comments on [Facebook's statement](https://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-safety/controversial-harmful-and-hateful-speech-on-facebook/574430655911054 "Controversial, Harmful and Hateful Speech on Facebook") reminds us that there is a long way to go toward making the internet a less hostile place, but this is a great step forward. --- #### 3 Responses Our Bodies Ourselves is no longer able to accept comments. **Ayesha** on May 30, 2013 The campaign also made it into the the Times of India -- a widely read and respected newspaper in India! See http://toi.in/PwP1jZ Ayesha **LadyFlowersbySusan** on May 30, 2013 This article, and the huge amount of hard work behind it, lifted me up and lightened the air in the room! What a triumph for mature women, our daughters and our granddaughters! **Helen Smith** on May 31, 2013 Congrats for your campaign. I totally agree, there are still a lot of work to do to change a lot of things in internet but this is an amazing step . Thanks for this article. Keep on ! ![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)Topics - [Activism & Resources](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/activism-resources) - [Advertising & Marketing](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/advertising-marketing) - [Feminism & Gender](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/topic/feminism-gender) ![](/assets/img/monogram.webp)### *Why You Can* **Trust Us** - We rigorously evaluate all content - We embrace a reproductive justice framework - We don’t accept ads or sell products - We reject funding from the pharmaceutical industry - We counter misinformation and disinformation - We address the social, political, and economic factors that affect health and sexuality [read more](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/why-you-can-trust-us) Share [](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)[](javascript:void();)