Women's rights organisations take on disinformation harming Black and migrant women
The rise of the far-right has meant that many specialised violence against women and girls services are having to take additional safety measures
Women’s rights organisations take on disinformation harming Black and migrant women
Disinformation about violence against women and girls is being used to ‘legitimise racist narratives’ when violence is rooted in “patriarchy, inequality, and state failure”, campaigners say.
Women’s rights groups are taking on harmful disinformation about violence against women and girls (VAWG) which is putting Black, minoritised and migrant women at risk.
Campaigners say that VAWG is being used to promote anti-immigration agendas which is having a “devastating effect” and is “legitimising racist, anti-migrant narratives.”
As well as VAWG being “exploited”, the rise of the far-right has meant that many specialised women’s services are having to take additional safety measures to protect their staff and service users from the risk of violence.
Last year, in an open letter to the government, more than 100 women’s rights group called for “leadership” in response to “racist misuse” of concern about women and girls’ safety.
Now, in a bid to tackle these “harmful falsehoods”, a new guide has been created by campaigners to help the public, politicians and journalists respond to those who use misleading claims about violence against women to “stoke division for political gain.”
The guide has been produced by women’s rights groups End Violence Against Women Coalition, Hibiscus, Women for Refugee Women, Southall Black Sisters, Imkaan and the Latin American Women’s Rights Service.
It includes facts and statistics on VAWG which challenge common racist myths that have become mainstream.
For those on the frontlines of tackling VAWG, disinformation isn’t simply an online issue - it also has a “real-life impact” which is harming Black and minoritised women.
Ghadah Alnasseri, Executive Director of VAWG charity Imkaan said: “Specialist VAWG services led ‘by and for’ Black and minoritised women are on the frontlines of how the rise of the far-right is harming Black and minoritised communities, with many services having to take additional safety measures just to protect their staff and service users from the risk of far-right violence.
“This is the real-life impact of the weaponisation of VAWG and it must end.”
The resource provides tools for people to “challenge harmful falsehoods and to have productive conversations” with the people in their lives about VAWG and immigration.
Campaigners say an end to violence against women and girls is possible, but the weaponisation of the issue reinforced the ‘stranger-danger’ myth and takes attention away from the real causes of and solutions to violence, while putting Black, minoritised and migrant women, and survivors, at risk of more harm.
Interim Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), Janaya Walker says that real concern for women and girls has been “exploited.”
The director said: “The public overwhelmingly cares about ending violence against women and girls. But this concern has been increasingly exploited by those who promote misinformation and stoke fear and division in our communities.
“To those figures, which includes politicians, organisations on the frontlines of tackling violence against women and girls say ‘not in our name’.
“Ending violence against women and girls is everyone’s responsibility, and we can all take small, everyday actions to get us there.
“This guide is designed to help us do just that. It offers practical advice to challenge misinformation, move conversations away from harmful narratives and towards a better world for all women and girls.”
Selma Taha, Executive Director of VAWG charity Southall Black Sisters added that the issue was being used to ‘legitimise racist narratives’ when the reality is that is that violence is rooted in “patriarchy, inequality, and state failure.”
Selma said: “The rise of the far-right is not just shaping public discourse on violence against women and girls – it is distorting it.
“VAWG is being weaponised to scapegoat migrant communities and legitimise racist, anti-migrant narratives, while obscuring the reality that this violence is systemic, rooted in patriarchy, inequality, and state failure.
“For Black, minoritised and migrant women, this creates a brutal double bind; they are targeted by xenophobic rhetoric while being erased as victims-survivors, pushing them further from safety, support, and justice.
“Hostile immigration policies, including No Recourse to Public Funds and recent immigration changes, already trap women in abuse, yet these realities are ignored in favour of divisive myths.”
“This guide is a timely intervention. It equips people to challenge misinformation and refocus attention on the real drivers of violence. Ending VAWG requires systemic change and protection for all women – not the exploitation of their experiences to justify racism.”
For more information about the guide, click here.
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