International Women’s Day: call to act against cyberbullying

On Tuesday, MEPs heard Jackie Fox’s testimony about the cyberbullying her daughter suffered and her subsequent work to protect children and adults against such harm.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: “The courage of women who refuse to stay silent continues to shape our societies. The European Parliament will always stand with them - defending equality, combating all forms of abuse online and offline and removing the barriers that prevent women from participating fully in public life.”

Jackie Fox recounted how her daughter, a healthy young woman who was targeted by relentless physical and online abuse, ended up taking her own life. In the aftermath of losing her, Ms Fox discovered that there were no laws to protect adults or children from such bullying attacks. This motivated her to campaign for the adoption of “Coco’s law” against cyberbullying in Ireland. She implored the European Parliament to make it European law too, to protect all children and adults from similar horrific abuse.

The debate continued with one round of political speakers. They called for equality and for action to fight the reactionary forces attacking women’s rights and spreading violence. Some argued that feminism is democracy in action and that half of humanity deserves the same rights and freedoms. Other speakers stressed the importance of recognising the rights and dignity of all women, including the importance of motherhood. They also emphasised the right to safety from all forms of violence and attacks, whether in private or public spaces. Regarding digital violence, MEPs stressed that bullying and hatred have nothing to do with free speech but constitute violence that must be stopped.