At 25 years old, Shanley Clemot McLaren is often considered a young activist. However, this Sciences Po Paris student, who also serves as a gender policy officer at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is no novice to activism. McLaren first began advocating for feminism at the age of 17. She was recognized for her efforts at the Young Activists Summit, now in its sixth edition, which focused on the theme of "collective action," with the slogan "Go Far, Go Together." It was through social media, particularly the #MeToo movement in 2017, that Shanley was inspired to fight for feminist causes. "I felt that the voices of young women were not adequately represented in the movement," she told Euronews Culture. At the time, Shanley noticed that many of her female classmates were subjected to sexist comments and micro-aggressions from male students, with school staff turning a blind eye. In response, she organized a school blockade to protest against pervasive sexism in French schools, which caught the attention of French media and led to a conversation with then-Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Marlène Schiappa.
Three years later, in 2020, Shanley observed a surge in online cyber-harassment targeting women, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite reporting these incidents to social media platforms, the content continued to proliferate. This alarming trend led Shanley to create #StopFischa, a platform dedicated to combating image-based sexual abuse and online gendered violence. The term "fisha" is a French slang for "display" or "make public." Shanley explains, "These accounts, organized by region or city, shared intimate content of teenage girls without their consent, using personal information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and schools." #StopFischa allows individuals to report cases of cybersexism through an online form and is recognized as a "trusted flagger" by several social media outlets, enabling direct reports for account deletion or content removal. Despite repeated requests, #StopFischa has not been granted this status by Meta.
Shanley worries that the complexity of complaint forms on social media platforms intimidates younger victims. "Today, at 25, I know a lot about this issue. I was harassed on Instagram and managed to fill out a complicated form. But what about a 13-year-old victim? How can we help her?" #StopFischa provides legal and psychological support to victims and has successfully influenced French laws on technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The team monitors online trends to identify sexist and violent rhetoric against women. Shanley notes a rise in "masculinist" content advocating male dominance and traditional gender roles. "Recently, a TikTok trend saw masculinist influencers and ordinary men posting videos dictating what their wives or girlfriends could not do, promoting control and domination," she explains. Shanley warns that the polished nature of this content conceals its harmful agendas, making it harder for moderation to respond effectively.
Source link: https://www.euronews.com
