Two of our Iraqi partner organizations recently teamed up to help a teenage girl confront an online assault. The case showcases how well collaboration among community organizations can support women’s digital resilience.
In the heart of Iraq, where cultural diversity meets the challenges of modernity, a teenager found herself targeted by digital violence. Dina*, 16, is part of the Yazidi ethno-religious minority. Hers is a story not just of hardship but also of resilience: with support from two local organizations, Dina turned despair into justice in just two days.
Both organizations are partners in the Foundation initiative that’s testing an “ecosystems” response to digital violence against women (DVAW). Funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), this pilot project fosters innovation and collaboration among community organizations in Iraq and Jordan.
Dina’s ordeal began with a simple WhatsApp “story”—a feature allowing users to share updates with friends that disappear after 24 hours. Like many girls her age, Dina shared a candid photo of herself that day. But this time, one of her friends crossed an unspoken line and shared Dina’s story with a male acquaintance.
This man was notorious for posting harmful content about women. In this case, he copied Dina’s photo into a TikTok post, adding a caption that made it look like she was soliciting sex online. The photo itself seemed innocuous, with words written in the Yazidi Kurmanji language–meaningless to most users and to TikTok’s community standards filter. But this post carried devastating weight in Dina’s conservative community. What would people think? How would they respond? Left to fester, what horrifying shame could this phony message bring to Dina and her family?
Rapid response
Distraught and terrified, Dina and her family reported the incident to the police. An officer promised to look into the case, but he cautioned that digital violence was beyond the force’s capacity. The clear and honest message was that she shouldn’t expect to see a resolution anytime soon.
That’s when Dina turned to the Baghdad Women’s Association (BWA). She’d heard about BWA but didn’t know they’d adopted digital violence as a new focus area, And when she reached out in desperation, she found both immediate emotional support and a path toward justice.
When I saw the post with my picture and that vile text underneath it, I felt my life was over. But I am so glad that my family believed me that I didn’t make that post, and they helped me seek support from the organization. It is such a relief to know that there is someone out there who can help. And I am now much wiser and will help my friends to be safe online. I am also more careful with the people I befriend and more careful of what to publish online. –Dina
Jehan Hussein, BWA’s psychosocial support officer, moved quickly to help Dina navigate the emotional turmoil of her situation. She also managed a supportive intervention with the friend who’d shared Dina’s post, along with her family.
Because combating DVAW has been a priority for us since we started this project with The SecDev Foundation, we already have tools and expertise to deal with this violence through an integrated approach. Not only did we provide psychological and technical support to the victim, who was extremely distressed at first, we were also able to reach the other girl, who is also a minor, and informed her family of the risks their daughter is engaging in. It was comforting to see that both families were supportive of their daughters and realized the gravity of the situation. –Jehan Hussein, BWA
Next, BWA looped in INSM Network for Digital Rights, another project partner and digital security expert. To most, the TikTok post may have seemed harmless: a photo with a caption in an obscure language. But INSM understood the nuances. Using their status as a trusted partner with TikTok, they filed a report—translating the caption, documenting the direct threat to Dina and discussing the broader implications for the platform.
From despair to justice
What happened next was heartening. Within two days, TikTok acted on INSM’s report. The platform removed the post attacking Dina’s reputation. After a short investigation, they also permanently closed the perpetrator’s account. At the same time, BWA and INSM took the opportunity to help Dina and others protect themselves from future threats.
The resolution was a win on many fronts. For Dina, it meant reclaiming her dignity and safety. For her family, it restored their faith in collective action. And for her community, it signalled that digital violence will not go unchallenged. As a member of a marginalized minority, Dina says she has often felt invisible. But this experience showed her community that there are organizations willing to listen, support and act on their behalf.
We are an organization whose mission is to support safe internet and digital rights. It was important not only to support this girl and remove the immediate problem, but also we built her capacity as well as the other girl and they have secure accounts now and understand how to keep themselves safe online. –Asia Anwar, INSM Project Coordinator
For BWA and INSM, the case highlighted the value of responding to violence collaboratively. Together, they achieved something that traditional authorities are not yet positioned or equipped to do. By rapidly combining psychosocial support with technical expertise, they addressed both the emotional and the practical sides of the case. Now both groups are sharing this story on social media—including in languages of Iraq’s minority groups—to raise awareness about digital violence and encourage others to seek help.
Ecosystems of support
Dina’s case showcases how cooperation among local organizations can help protect women from digital violence. And this kind of cooperation is at the heart of our new IDRC-supported pilot project in Iraq and Jordan.
For several years now, we’ve supported various responses to digital violence in the MENA region—everything from digital safety training to psychosocial support. This new project is about connecting the dots, fostering fuller ecosystems of support for female tech users and victims of digital violence. That means building capacity and connections among many organizations and others with roles to play in protecting women. Ultimately, the vision is to do this across at least three broad sectors: governance (i.e. law and policy), health and education.
For instance, we’re building new expertise on digital violence among a strategic cohort of lawyers, judges and local cybercrime units. We’ll strengthen capacity among organizations active in women’s mental and reproductive health, helping them lead public engagement efforts. We’ll also empower local education partners to develop teaching tools on digital violence against women.
“It takes a community,” as the saying goes. We’re starting this work in Iraq and Jordan, and we’ll be looking for opportunities to build out from there. Because right across the MENA region, our experience shows that women are ready to drive drive progress—to create safer spaces for themselves in an increasingly digital world.
* “Dina” is a pseudonym adopted to protect her privacy. Other details of her story are accurate.