Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Women politicians face daily abuse on social media

Imagine picking up your phone and receiving abusive messages every day.

Women in politics have spoken of their experiences of dealing with sexism and hatred on social media while voicing their political opinions.

Gender equality charity Chwarae Teg said it feared a growing number of women were being put off standing for election due to online abuse.

Two young women in politics have spoken about their experiences facing online abuse to the BBC's Politics Wales.

One member of the Labour Party, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she had to deal with sexist attacks on social media every day.

"I get called a whore, that I'm a slut, that I should put my tits away, that I'm unintelligent, that I'm an idiot, that I should go away and bake a cake instead - which was my personal favourite," she said.

"[They claim] I'm uneducated, I have no place in politics, and you get this daily, it's recurrent."

She said she had also experienced misogyny from male politicians, but had not reported any of the incidents "because there's no point".

"I've had experiences of councillors who've kissed me, who take me aside, who say 'you know if you don't sleep with me then you won't get anywhere in the Labour party'," she said.

"It makes me feel really angry. It makes me feel scared as well, and for a long time I stayed off social media because of just how sort of upset it made me.

"But I'm very aware that personally I can sort of bat it off, but there are young girls who are coming up through politics, who maybe don't have the same coping mechanisms that I do.

"It makes me feel really angry for them, because with those things you're scared away. If you're put down so much, you sort of listen to it, and it really is horrid."

Jas, a member of the Liberal Democrats, said people had brought up her sex life on social media.

"I'll get messages like death threats, bullying, or just really unkind comments about what I look like or my personality, or political views I hold. So it is quite bad," she said.

"My sex life gets brought into it a lot as well. So people will say I'm a slut, I'm a whore, things like that.

"Even on the views I hold I'll be called an idiot or even more severe than that, like people will say I'm a retard.

"It's constant. I must get three of these messages every week or two. For a young person to deal with I think that's a lot."

Jas has complained, but said that there was "not much" the party could do.

"In our party, at the moment our complaints procedure isn't functioning very well. It's kind of backlogged," she said.

"We have very severe complains that haven't been dealt with properly, so never mind small complaints. In terms of parties and reporting, not many people do it, because there isn't much you can do."

Helen Antoniazzi, of Chwarae Teg, said there was a risk social media abuse could discourage women from engaging in politics.

"I think that essentially what is at the bare bones of this is people trying to stop women from having a voice and from expressing their opinion, and this is a way they can see they can do that," she said.

"There's a fear that more and more women will be put off standing for election and putting themselves forward for political positions, because of the fear of this abuse and because of the abuse in itself.

"We've got a role as a wider society to make sure that abuse is challenged and is not seen as acceptable so that women do feel able to put themselves forward and to participate in politics and express their opinions."

A Labour spokesman said the party took all complaints of abuse and harassment, online or in person, extremely seriously.

All complaints are fully investigated, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken, he added.

Meanwhile the Liberal Democrats said the party took issues seriously and investigated all complaints.

It added that there were also organisations within the party which support women and young people, including helping them to deal with social media abuse.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
×