UN focus on online toxic posts

The harassment of women online is undermining democracy, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) says.

Director-General Audrey Azoulay made the comment on Wednesday to mark the International Day of Women in Multilateralism.

The day recognises the role played by women in the promotion of human rights, peace and sustainable development and advocates for their increased representation in key decision-making positions.

Azoulay said, at the current rate, it will take more than 130 years to reach gender parity.

‘‘Celebrating their achievements, their views and their devotion also means drawing attention to the incomprehensible inequality gap which in too many contexts continues to exist between women and men,’’ she said. ‘‘Equal rights cannot wait.’’

Azoulay’s comments come after Jacinda Ardern resigned as prime minister earlier this month.

An online hate tracker found Ardern was the target of 5438 abusive messages from 2019 to 2022.

University of Auckland academic Chris Wilson said Ardern was overwhelmingly the target of posts deemed hateful or toxic.

‘‘The disparity surprised even me,’’ he said. ‘‘The only conclusion you can draw is that it was just ongoing, incessant vitriol focused on the PM, over a long period, that never went away.’’

Azoulay said building equality through multilateralism implies acknowledging the role women have in the process.

‘‘This is why on International Day of Women in Multilateralism 2023, we are focusing on a commitment at the heart of Unesco’s raison d’eˆtre [reason for being]: the fight against hate speech,’’ she said. ‘‘With a particular emphasis on the issue of harassment of, and violence against, women in the digital environment.’’