Activists Call To Address Cyber Misogyny against Female Footballers

Several political officials and human rights associations in Morocco have decried a trending, misogynistic campaign called “Your Kitchen”, which uses cyberbullying against the Moroccan women’s football team. The virtual campaign peaked with the squad’s elimination from the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
All hell broke loose when the Moroccan team suffered a 4-0 loss to France and had to leave the tournament. Comments such as: “Your kitchen”, “We told you to go back to your kitchens”, “The Chickens defeated the Lionesses, what a shame!” inundated social media, along with disrespectful, hurtful memes with the players’ pictures.
A simple web search shows that the derogatory campaign did not set a precedent. In fact, few months ago, a similar sexist and gender-specific campaign, led by some so-called male influencers, was encouraging soon-to-be-wed men to re-think their life choices and choose a housewife instead of a career-driven woman.
In response, Tahadi Association for Equality and Citizenship (ATEC) issued a statement detailing the importance of combating internet violence, and protecting athletes’ well-being and mental health. It urged law enforcement officers to look into the abusive content and hold those responsible accountable.
According to ATEC, online harassment, which might look mild, continues to stymie women empowerment and gender mainstreaming in a variety of fields. The Association opposed the denigration of the female players and applauded all their past achievements.
ATEC president and activist Bouchra Abdou stressed the pressing need to combat gender biases that fuel cyberbullying, urging strict enforcement of existing laws against negative media posts.
In a written question to the Minister of Family, Member of Parliament Fatima Tamani had questioned efforts made to combat violence against women on social media, stressing that recent campaigns amount to a moral threat against women.
Statistics and Forecasts Office (HCP) revealed that nearly 1.5 million Moroccan women suffer from electronic violence, with figures increasing from 19 to 34% for girls aged 15-19, and 28% for women aged 20-24.