Is this real? Identifying fraud online 101 [v 0.1] : This guide will help you learn the basics of identifying fraud online.
Someone has uploaded a picture or video of me online without my consent. What can i do ? [v o.1] : This guide will help you navigate a situation where someone has uploaded a photo or video of you on online platforms.
Note: We will be updating our guides and the list of guides periodically. Please remember to check this link for updates.
On the 15th of December we will be at flying goat hosting our tech-pop up embrace. Online Harassment and Abuse has become very common in social platforms. But unfortunately there are very few spaces for solidarity and support. TBP intends to hold this space for women and non-binary persons who have face harassment or fraud. We hope with this space people can find solidarity with each other. We also intend to share skills and tips on reporting or not reporting when someone is faced with harassment / abuse in this space. This first event will be held in the spirit of #16daysofactivismagainstgenderbasedviolence.
This pop will have an public exhibition where we will be sharing the experiences of woman, trans and non binary people in online spaces. The issues they face and how they overcome them. The exhibition will be open from 2 pm onwards on 15th Dec.
At the space we are also hosting a open hour from 2:30pm to 5 pm for anyone to come one learn on how they can take control of their profiles on dating apps and social media platforms or share any issues they have encountered.
We will also be hosting a few invite only workshops on dealing with online harassment, anyone wanting more information on this can fill up this form. We will inform selected participants by email.
In January 2023, under the “Without fear” fellowship of The Bachchao Project, I had the opportunity to witness, interact and inhabit the dent of social, emotional and psychological remnants of a past experience of online harassment and of standing up against it. My project is an invitation to that experience.
“When your intentions are questioned,
you want to clear the air.
You want to defend your intention.
It all comes down to that”
Misogynist, homophobic and transphobic online harassment is an everyday spectacle, experience and occurrence in the online spaces of the social and digital media platforms catering to the people in Imphal and adjoining areas. Due awareness raising, statewide campaigns as well as public discussions has been observed but the trend remains undeterred.
At such a juncture the survivors and those who came to the front to raise voices against it are posed with a rather troubling question – shall I overlook and move on?
At a plain sight, it is a very simple question. Furthermore, answering it seems even easier. Just a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or perhaps a ‘maybe’. But is it really so?
“It’s always on my mind. I think I should ignore but I can’t help it.
I’ll think of it and would often sigh, “Oh Me! Are we not allowed to live? How wrong is it to be me?””
While survivors are still grappling to understand why and how of the harrowing experiences that unfolded, those who campaigned against it are baffled with the backlash they faced. All in all, a plethora of questions opens up like a floodgate.
Days, months and years have passed. The people, life and the world had well served its purpose of embedding in under layers and layers of time and new experiences. Meanwhile the memories remain vivid and striking. As if still waiting to be unpacked and resolved. A conversation that began with a general comment on online space and experiences, now turns vivid.
“I was just living my life normally like everyone. And they came and did all these to my life. So, I am the victim and not the other way around”
The experiences seem to be an isolated phenomenon centred around a person, an individual act or a mishap that could have been easily avoided. But often it is not – the world is the witness and what of the anonymous perpetrators? While certain facts are there for full public view and open to interpretations, certain facts remain ambiguous and unclaimed. When complicity prevails how do we really make a sense of what is and what is not? And most importantly what to do? Whom to ask and how?
This project sought to create a multimedia digital archive through interviews, photographs, audio recordings, illustrations, text based excerpts; of experiences of select and chosen individuals (queer and trans* person) and their personal stories of online based harassments and related consequences in the quality of their physical, mental, emotional, economical and social health and outcomes. Further, the project sought to delve into a creative process with the participants in creating digital content in Manipuri that seek to raise awareness and alleviate reporting and collectivisation for the same.
The project consisted of three parts:
The above has been inferred through close consultation with activists, survivors, community and individuals I have been in touch with.
In September 2023, The Bachchao Project carried out its first offline Writing Sprint. Our intention with it was to focus on developing resources that provide guidance and strategies for addressing online hate and harassment. In our earlier work on online hate and harassment, we had spoken to many muslim women who had lived experiences of such kinds of harm. For this sprint as well, we wanted to work with a group of muslim women and queer people, to hear their experiences and highlight what they wanted to share with others in their groups, and with those in the social media industry.
When we embarked on this sprint, it was akin to navigating uncharted waters. The journey taught us profound lessons that have changed our team dynamics and collective understanding of the work we do.
As we as a team reflect on these challenges and triumphs, it has been evident that for projects such as these, with intersectional nuances and complexities, there must be intentional thought behind the alignment of skills and capacities. Digital security (especially for traditionally vulnerable communities) cannot just mean technical expertise, but includes a careful curation of diverse skills and experiences within the team. This is an acknowledgement of some of the challenges that such work can shine light on among team members and participants.
One of the crucial aspects of the work we do lies in how to highlight the lived experiences of the communities we engage with. This has always been a key point for The Bachchao Project. However, in this sprint, we did not extend this principle to the actual execution. While we scrutinised the online spaces where harassment occurs, we shifted some of the focus away from the essential step of unpacking the lived experiences, hindering the building of common ground and trust within the group. What we needed was a shift in perspective from being an outcome-focused sprint, to one designed for exploration, collaboration, and participation.
We also think we failed to to focus on a clearer delineation of roles based on the experience and capacity of the members, coupled with explicit project management structures. This sometimes gets confusing in a collective structure. But we understand that these hard steps are necessary going forward. Time, often underestimated, also emerged as a critical factor. The time to do programs when in a contract is usually cramped even when we plan in the best possible way. This often creates all sorts of constraints in how programs get executed. Even though for this contract we could define our work and out comes it still caused us discomfort. Going forward we want to work towards more realistic deadlines which also includes space for everyone.
The mental health of our participants as well as our team came into focus multiple times during, and after the sprint. Despite our awareness and efforts to support each other, we were unable to provide the kind of support for ourselves and others that was required for an event of this nature. What was required was expertise to recognise and address such topics. We were unable to budget support for a separate mental health practitioner for the sprint, and the absence of this severely curtailed our ability to respond to the situations that arrived in the sprint.
As the team members we were under prepared of how it would impact each of us and how we would react to the conversation in the space. As facilitators, it is essential to show up with authenticity in engaging with difficult issues; sometimes to establish potentially common ground, but also to show vulnerability. Acknowledging discomfort in engaging with certain topics and addressing this during project design will lead to a more transparent and conducive space for dialogue. It would also led to better project planning. This is an important take away for us to make space for these discussion during the planning period.
Many of these points were reinforced during a period of extensive participant feedback. These added to our own self reflection. Following the sprint, we revisited project design, made amendments where possible to the budget, to ensure a smoother experience for participants. We are committed to improving and adapting, and we hope our steps following the sprint displayed the same.
The kind of participant knowledge and experience that was collected, along with the team’s responses during and after the sprint are important indicators of learning meaningfully in the complex landscape of online harassment intervention. As we move forward, these lessons serve as guideposts, illuminating the path towards more intentional, inclusive, and impactful projects.
In December 2021 we received an email from one of the organisations we were in contract with informing us of receiving a whistleblower complaint against us. The complaint has not been shared with us till date. But, we underwent an investigation to honor the contract we had with them.
The organisation conducted an investigation with their internal team and we were also audited of our financial spending. The organisation informed us that we were cleared of the accusation of financial mismanagement and fraud in October 2023.
The entire process of investigation took two years to complete. We received the final email from the organisation on January 2024. In which they confirmed that we had completed our obligations towards them.
We are sharing this to be transparent with our community.
In this entire process we have taken utmost care to protect the community from any risk. We have pushed back on asks for personal data. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have for us and we will be available for either one on one conversations or to answer any emails sent to theteam@thebachchaoproject.org.
The Bachchao Project supported EastMojo to build this guide on how news rooms can navigate workflows especially in North East India. The guide which was completed in 2023 is released under CC-BY-SA-NC here. It speaks in depth about how can a news room prepare for an internet shutdown, dos and donts while reporting and East Mojos self reflection on reporting during internet shutdowns in Manipur in 2023.
Navigating workflows amidst internet disruptions in a newsroomIn the interconnected world of the internet, social media has become a powerful tool for communication, activism, and community-building. However, social media can also be used for harassing others and spreading hate- a reality that disproportionately Muslim women. In ‘Digital Battlegrounds’, we get to hear from these brave muslim women about their own experiences, and hopes for the future. This report was developed following a writing sprint conducted by The Bachchao Project in September 2023.
We can explore various themes through the report, including allyship, intersectionality, the role of technology in facilitating online gender based violence, and the role of various institutions such as the media. Rather than being a purely academic report, the authors have focused on their own experiences and stories.
1. How to be a good ally: Nabiya
This piece is a witty take on allyship, focusing particularly on the meaning of being an ally in the context of online abuse. It speaks about both allyship within the Muslim community and the feminist community, as well as outside it.
2. Reclaiming Narratives: Maria
This poignant poem captures the essence of resilience and identity in the face of adversity, specifically within the context of Muslim women. It examines the shortcomings of allyship, giving current examples of instances of hate against Muslim women and the reactions it provoked.
3. Understanding Algorithms: Maria
Algorithms, especially those employed by social media platforms and online spaces, are designed to curate and display content based on user preferences and engagement patterns. These can amplify harmful narratives and contribute to the dissemination of prejudiced and discriminatory content- in the context of Muslim women, they can promote content that reinforces stereotypes, misinformation and hate speech and lead to online echo chambers. This chapter is a deeper look into how the impact of algorithms on online gender based violence and merges technical knowledge and social impact.
4. Muslim women and the Media: Fatima
This piece examines how the media covers incidents of harassment of Muslim women. It includes a compilation of recommendations for Muslim women who have experienced online harassment when interacting with media organizations or journalists. There is guidance on precautions to consider, strategies for shaping narratives, and approaches to address issues such as media bias, misinformation, or substandard reporting. These insights stem from the experiences of Muslim women who are actively engaged in the media industry and have personally encountered harassment on social media based on their identity.
5. A Recipe: Bisma
During the writing sprint, we held a zine making session. The theme was to imagine a safe, joyful, and free online space and participants had access to craft supplies and newspapers to create their own works of art. This zine was produced during this session. It is a tongue in cheek recipe to make online spaces free of harassment for Muslim women. The original zine (written in Hindi) is kept in the report along with a translation of the text in English.
Conclusion:
It is becoming imperative to confront the harsh realities faced by marginalized communities, including Muslim women. “Digital Battlegrounds” should be seen as a call to action—an exploration of the challenges, but also a testament to the resilience of Muslim women in the face of online harassment.
The report can be accessed here Digital Battlegrounds_What Muslim Women Want You to Know about Online Harassment and Its Real Life Implications
The illustrations attached to the personas have been randomised and should not be assumed to be accurate or real. You are free to share this material in any medium or format, as long as appropriate attribution is given.
All text and images are available under the Creative Commons Attribution -NonCommercial -NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-SA-NC-ND 4.0) license unless stated otherwise. This could appear as: “Digital Battlegrounds: What Muslim Women want you to know about online harassment and its real life implications, The Bachchao Project under CC-BY-SA-NC-ND 4.0”
For requesting waiver, email us at theteam@thebachchaoproject.org
The outputs mentioned in this blog post are part of the Without Fear fellowship program 2022 – 2023. The Bachchao Project started this fellowship program to bring together a cohort of talented individuals with experience and interest in the gender and development space, who could bring fresh perspectives and potential solutions to threats faced by structurally silenced women and gender minorities in the country. This cohort could learn from itself and others, and look at innovative tech based interventions and ideas. The fellows were based around three central verticals; the social and development space, tech, and art.
In today’s digital age, social media platforms have become powerful tools for communication and expression. However, they have also given rise to online hate and trolling, particularly targeting marginalized communities. As a 2023 Without Fear fellow with The Bachchao Project, I had the privilege of being part of a transformative multimedia project that aimed to document and raise awareness about the experiences of women facing online trolling. Through various media such as articles, interviews, photo essays, and a podcast, my project sought to amplify the voices of those who have long been silenced.
“Navigating Online Hate: Voices from the Margins and Periphery”
In this thought-provoking article, I shed light on the pressing issue of online hate and its strong correlation with the objectification of women’s bodies. Drawing from studies and investigations, I explore how women, especially those advocating for gender and sexuality issues, are disproportionately targeted. I also highlight the specific experiences of Dalit and tribal women, who face triple layers of oppression due to caste, gender, and class. The article underscores the need for awareness, stronger regulations against cybercrimes, and the creation of safer online spaces for all.
Navigating Online Hate Voices from the margins and PeripheryChallenging Patriarchy: A Conversation with @WitchesofArunachal
A Podcast Interview
As part of a multimedia project, I had the opportunity to conduct a podcast interview with WitchesofArunachal. WitchesofArunachal is a feminist page run by an indigenous tribal woman from Arunachal Pradesh. Through her platform, she fearlessly questions and comments on issues faced by women in the region, particularly the patriarchal norms that hinder policy formations and deny women their fundamental rights to land and property. In our conversation, we explored her experiences of facing online trolls and her response to the challenges of the online space.
A Self-Reflective Journey
Photo Essay
In this captivating photo essay, I share my own personal experiences as a tribal woman facing online trolls. Through a series of powerful images, I respond to the trolls that have tried to censor my thoughts and expression. I explore themes such as merit and reservation, the perception of tribal communities, and the constant need to prove my nationality as a woman from the periphery. Drawing strength from my ancestors’ struggles against colonialism and oppression, I use this platform to challenge the trolls and assert my identity.
PhotoEssayMy multimedia project as part of the Without Fear 2023 cohort at The Bachchao Project has been an incredible journey of documenting, raising awareness, and empowering marginalized voices. Through articles, interviews, photo essays, and a podcast, I have sought to shed light on the experiences of women facing online trolling. I have highlighted the specific challenges faced by Dalit and tribal women, emphasized the need for safer online environments, and celebrated the resilience and activism of individuals like Shalin Maria Lawrence. By continuing to engage with these narratives and supporting those who face online hate, we can work towards a more inclusive and equitable digital world for all.
The field of journalism has seen dramatic shifts in recent years, with the digital landscape becoming an integral part of the profession. However, with this shift comes the pressing need for digital safety and security. As a journalist with experience in gender-integrated forums, I recognized the importance of creating safer digital environments for women and gender minorities in journalism. This journey led me to host a digital safety workshop as part of the Safe Sisters Fellowship program, and the experience was both enlightening and fulfilling.
Before embarking on this journey, I wanted the content to be directly relevant to digital safety for journalists, considering the needs and challenges they face daily. Interactive sessions and hands-on activities were crucial in my mind, as they make learning about digital safety practical and engaging. Creating a safe and inclusive environment was paramount, where participants could freely discuss their concerns and experiences without judgment. Additionally, I hoped the workshop would offer networking opportunities, enabling participants to connect with peers and mentors in the journalism community.
The training sessions exceeded my expectations in several ways. We covered a wide range of topics, including digital safety risks, practical skills for online protection, and recognising digital threats via phising. The training provided a comprehensive understanding of digital security, both for journalists and safeguarding their sources.
Among the topics covered during the training, two stood out as particularly valuable: password managers and phishing. Password managers are essential tools for keeping online accounts secure, and understanding how they work is crucial. Similarly, the session on phishing shed light on the importance of recognizing fraudulent attempts to steal sensitive information. These skills are not only useful for journalists but for anyone navigating the digital realm.
The success of the workshop was largely due to effective planning and execution, along with clear communication of expectations. One suggestion for future sessions is to increase visibility through social media and other channels to reach a wider audience.
It enhanced my knowledge and skills as a journalist. I learned the art of facilitating workshops, enabling me to host a platform for others to share and learn. Lastly, I extended this training to a network that holds personal and professional significance to me. Overall, it was a fulfilling journey that encompassed both personal and professional growth.
In today’s digital age, digital safety is a crucial aspect of journalism. The workshop reinforced the idea that when we create safe spaces for dialogue and knowledge sharing, we empower ourselves and our communities to navigate the digital landscape with confidence. It’s not just about learning but also about fulfilling a mission to make digital spaces safer for all.
As journalists, we have a responsibility not only to report the news but also to ensure our own safety and that of our peers. My experience in hosting a digital safety workshop has been a significant step in this direction, and I encourage everyone in the field to explore similar opportunities for growth, learning, and empowerment.
The Safe Sisters Fellowship program provided an invaluable platform for this journey. It allowed me to engage with like-minded individuals, share knowledge, and contribute to a safer digital world for journalists. While the program was highly rewarding, increasing visibility for fellows could be a future enhancement.
In conclusion, the journey of learning and fulfillment continues, and I plan to provide long-term support to participants and the community by maintaining open email threads and connecting them with relevant initiatives like The Bachchao Project. Together, we can build a safer and more secure digital world for all journalists and content creators.