ASMA FATHI

Cairo — At a time when digital platforms have provided unprecedented opportunities for women to participate in public debate and advocate for their issues, they have simultaneously provided more complex tools for targeting them—beginning with organized smear campaigns and extending to the leaking of personal data, incitement, and hate speech.

International human rights organizations indicate that women's rights defenders represent one of the most vulnerable groups to digital violence, as online platforms are increasingly used to target women because of their opinions or human rights activities. This directly impacts their participation in the public sphere, pushing many to practice self-censorship or withdraw from public debates for fear of further violations.

In Egypt, the feminist movement has not been isolated from this scene. Recent months have witnessed an escalation in smear campaigns and online targeting against women activists and feminist institutions, accompanied by repeated accusations, distortion of feminist discourse, the circulation of personal information and photos, and attempts to stereotype women's rights defenders—raising questions about the nature of these campaigns, their impact on the human rights field, and the ability of current legal frameworks to address them.

From Individual Campaigns to Systematic Targeting

In this context, Hyam Al-Genaini, head of the legal unit at the "Mo'anas Salem" Foundation for Women's Empowerment, speaks about the transformations in the nature of digital attacks against feminists, the legal challenges in prosecuting perpetrators, and the repercussions of these practices on the future of feminist work in Egypt.

She believes that the most prominent shift in recent times is the transition of these attacks from scattered practices to systematic campaigns that are difficult to contain or control. Targeting is no longer limited to criticism but extends to publishing inflammatory posts, leaking personal data, addresses, phone numbers, and sometimes even private photos taken from personal accounts—practices that represent clear violations of privacy.

She notes that legal action against these incidents remains highly complex, not only due to the large number of participants in smear campaigns but also because many rely on fake accounts or automated programs, in addition to the cross-border nature of cybercrimes—attacks may originate from outside the country or use tools to conceal users' identities, making it difficult to reach those responsible or hold them legally accountable.

She affirms that women, especially those working in the feminist field, have become the most targeted group by this type of violence, as attacks intensify and expand unprecedentedly.

Feminist Solidarity... A Support Network in the Face of Targeting

As digital attacks expand, various forms of solidarity have emerged among feminists in an attempt to mitigate their effects—whether through republishing incidents, providing legal and psychological support, or launching collective solidarity campaigns. However, according to specialists, this solidarity does not eliminate the scale of losses these campaigns inflict on both personal and professional levels.

Hyam Al-Genaini affirms that feminists have become more aware of the seriousness of targeting any one of them, which has led to the building of mutual support within the feminist movement. She believes that activists' understanding of the nature of these attacks has made dealing with them more collective than individual, as targeting one activist may extend its impact to others working in the field.

On the other hand, she points out that this solidarity does not prevent real harm, as smear campaigns cause significant psychological, material, and moral losses—even in cases where harm is difficult to prove in court. She explains that many effects of digital violence are measured not only by what is published online but by the continuous pressure these campaigns place on women's lives and work.

This view aligns with UN Women reports, which confirm that online violence against women is not limited to verbal abuse but extends to psychological and professional effects that may push some women to reduce their public presence or withdraw from public debates for fear of repeated targeting.

Between Legislation and Digital Security... Multiple Paths of Confrontation

The debate on confronting digital violence is not limited to legal penalties alone but extends to developing legislation, enhancing law enforcement efficiency, and raising awareness about digital security—as integrated paths that cannot be separated.

Hyam Al-Genaini believes that dealing with digital attacks against feminists requires action on multiple tracks simultaneously. She notes that some articles of Law No. 175 on combating information technology crimes still contain a degree of ambiguity, which may expose women's rights defenders themselves to complaints or legal prosecution over posts intended to serve the public interest, after being taken out of context or decontextualized.

She affirms that digital security has become an indispensable necessity for those working in the human rights field, through protecting personal data, separating private and public accounts, and limiting access to personal information that may later be used in smear or blackmail campaigns.

These views align with recommendations from a number of international organizations concerned with digital rights, which affirm that confronting online violence against human rights defenders requires combining legal framework reform, the development of investigation mechanisms, and the strengthening of digital culture to ensure a safer online environment for women.

Stigmatization Discourse

Targeting campaigns do not stop at defamation or personal abuse but extend to creating stereotypes about women's rights defenders—through attaching ready-made accusations to them or decontextualizing their statements, transforming the debate from discussing ideas to trying the individuals themselves.

This type of discourse is considered one of the most impactful forms of symbolic violence, as it seeks to undermine credibility before discussing content.

In this context, Hyam Al-Genaini believes that what feminists are subjected to is fundamentally an attempt to intimidate anyone considering adopting a human rights discourse or defending women's issues. She explains that decontextualizing statements does not only target the individual expressing an opinion but sends a message of intimidation to every girl who might think of expressing a similar position.

She affirms that the feminist movement does not seek to wrest rights for one group at the expense of another but is based on defending the rights and freedoms of all. However, smear campaigns work to present this discourse differently, creating societal polarization and fueling hatred toward women's rights defenders.

Challenges Facing Feminist Work

Alongside smear campaigns, feminist institutions face other challenges related to repeated accusations about funding, in addition to questions about declining solidarity within the feminist movement. However, Hyam Al-Genaini believes that reading this scene requires considering the scale of pressures faced by those working in the human rights field and the nature of the accumulated issues they deal with daily.

She explains that the multiplicity of crises and issues occupying public opinion has created a state of congestion—both in terms of societal attention and even within human rights circles. She notes that activists themselves experience burnout and psychological exhaustion as a result of continuous dealing with successive waves of attacks and crises.

The Future of the Feminist Movement

Hyam Al-Genaini believes that the feminist movement will continue its role, that belief in the causes feminists work on will not change, and that mutual support among activists will remain present in facing challenges. However, she simultaneously points out that the current climate has become more difficult, with a constant sense of pressures surrounding those working in the human rights field from multiple directions.

She explains that these pressures are not limited to smear campaigns or cyberattacks but extend to legal prosecutions resulting from decontextualized statements or the use of legal texts that may be broadly interpreted, making merely expressing an opinion a reason for entering legal disputes whose effects may last for years—even in cases ending in suspended sentences, which she considers a permanent burden on rights defenders.

Despite these challenges, she does not believe that the feminist movement has reached a breaking point, but she sees that the current phase cannot be described as a phase of flourishing for women's rights and freedoms, given the continued pressures affecting the human rights field and the space for expression in general.

The violence faced by feminists is no longer limited to direct assaults or traditional smear campaigns; the digital space itself has become one of the battlegrounds over women's freedom to express, participate, and shape public opinion.

This scene reveals that protecting women's rights defenders is no longer a matter concerning only the feminist movement but is linked to the future of the right to freedom of expression, ensuring equal participation in the public sphere, and society's ability to accommodate pluralism and difference without the digital space becoming a tool for exclusion or intimidation.