Big Data Analysis on Hate Speech and Misogyny in Four Countries: Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand

In recent years, the Asia-Pacific region has witnessed rising polarization and a strong backlash against gender equality and women’s empowerment. This polarization has been particularly evident in online spaces, especially after COVID-19 lockdowns and related movement restrictions drove more people into online spaces.

This brief provides an evidence-based analysis of recent trends in online hate speech. Focused on Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, this brief analyses misogynistic hate speech which has occurred in the context of increasing polarization, shrinking democratic space and the ongoing gendered impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media discourse is analysed over a period of two years (March 2020 to February 2022); search data is analysed over a period of one year (March 2021 to February 2022). The brief is based on the findings of research conducted by Quilt.AI for the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, with the generous support of the Government of Japan, as a follow-up of the brief “Social Media Monitoring on COVID-19 and Misogyny in Asia and the Pacific (2020)”. While these preliminary findings require deeper analysis as development in online spaces may counter efforts to create safer and more inclusive platforms, they are key to understanding better the volume and interest in misogyny, how it is spread and influencing social media discourse on gender equality issues and feminist movements, and how relevant actors can respond and reduce misogynistic traffic on the internet.