She and her colleagues use social media to campaign for gender equality online by challenging gender norms and attitudes towards women in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation. “My colleagues and I have received threats online that have become increasingly violent, especially after we engaged in social media activism regarding women’s rights,” Betelehem told AFP. “Death threats, sexual harassment, gang rape and threats of physical harm are commonplace.”Betelehem co-founded the Ethiopian Women Human Rights Defenders Network (EWHRDN) and an advocacy platform called Afro Feminism — Seta Set Power (Women in Power) in 2021. Since then, her social media and email accounts have been hacked and private information, including photos and her home address, stolen and shared online. The CIR said that with over 80 languages spoken in Ethiopia, social media companies lack the resources and staff to keep on top of abusive posts.
