Ashley Judd Creates Speech Project To Raise Online Abuse Awareness

Actress Ashley Judd  has co-created the WMC Speech Project in order to raise awareness about online harassment. It is also an information resource for those suffering from online abuse.

A project of the Women’s Media Centre, it hopes to increase understanding of the nature, scope and costs of online misogyny and abuse.

Judd spoke about sexism in workplaces, tech companies and in law enforcement in a powerful TED Talk project. 

She says that you can’t sue someone for calling you things on the internet.

“Online misogyny is a global gender rights tragedy and it is imperative that it ends.”

She has received hate mail, death threats and a lot of abuse, after she wrote about being a rape survivor. Online misogyny is endured by us every day. It amplifies the violence endured by women.

The website provides a critical forum because there is no global or legal entity to help figure out online abuse. The website provides a standardised list of definitions because a standardised understanding of abuse is important if we are to combat it.

"We take hate speech and disaggregate it, and we code it and we give that data so we understand the intersectionality of it, when it is about race, gender, homosexuality."

"We will win the fight," she asserts.

She also says that we need to improve digital literacy. 

Also Read: Monica Lewinsky Speaks Up About Cyber Bullying