Addressing the Intersection of Misogyny, Targeted Hate and Violent Extremism

The toolkit establishes a 'Harms Taxonomy' to classify the continuum from online misogyny to violent extremism, identifying online harassment, sexual extortion, and online impersonation as the categories most likely to intersect with extremist activity. It advocates for a public health-based, gender-transformative approach to prevention rather than pure securitization. The document analyzes legal frameworks in Canada, Jordan, and Kenya, noting gaps such as the lack of standalone TFGBV laws in Canada and concerns over vague cybercrime laws in Jordan and Kenya. It provides sectoral guidance for government, civil society, and platforms to ensure coordinated, rights-respecting responses to gendered harms.

• Misogyny relates to violent extremism in four primary ways: as a standalone form of extremism (male supremacism), as a core component underpinning other extremist movements (far-right, far-left, and jihadist), as a risk factor for adopting extreme beliefs, and as a warning sign of broader violent behavior.
• The toolkit's Harms Taxonomy identifies five 'TFGBV super-types': Online Harassment, Online Impersonation, Intimate Image Abuse, Sexual Extortion, and Account Access Control. Among these, online harassment, sexual extortion, and online impersonation are identified as the most likely to intersect with violent extremism.
• The document argues for a public health-based approach to prevention, focusing on strengthening protective factors and gender-transformative interventions that reshape harmful masculinities, to avoid the risks of 'over-securitizing' gender-based violence as a national security problem.
• In Canada, TFGBV is primarily addressed through the Criminal Code rather than a standalone online safety framework. While the proposed Protecting Victims Act (December 2025) aims to strengthen penalties for non-consensual sexual deepfakes and coercive control, gaps remain regarding specific sub-harms like doxxing.
• Jordan's Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023 criminalizes impersonation, sexual extortion, and account access control, but human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, warn that vague terms like "spreading fake news" may be used to criminalize peaceful dissent.
• Kenya addresses TFGBV through the Penal Code and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (CMCA). While the 2025 CMCA amendments expanded authority to restrict prohibited content, the Penal Code still criminalizes same-sex sexual activity and lacks protections for LGBTQI+ individuals.
• The European Union's Directive (EU) 2024/1385 and the Terrorist Content Online (TCO) Regulation provide a model for integrating gender-specific legal frameworks with rapid removal obligations for extremist content, including misogynistic material that promotes terrorist violence.
• The UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) and Ofcom's guidance emphasize systemic measures to combat coordinated abuse. The case of the Maniac Murder Cult (MMC) demonstrates how sexual extortion, which may appear as TFGBV, can be a tactic within a proscribed terrorist ecosystem.

APA

Craanen, A., Tarrant, F., & Comerford, M. (2026). Addressing the Intersection of Misogyny, Targeted Hate and Violent Extremism. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Addressing-the-intersection-of-misogyny-targeted-hate-and-violent-extremism.pdf

Chicago

Craanen, Anne, Fabienne Tarrant, and Milo Comerford. Addressing the Intersection of Misogyny, Targeted Hate and Violent Extremism. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2026. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Addressing-the-intersection-of-misogyny-targeted-hate-and-violent-extremism.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Craanen |first1=Anne |last2=Tarrant |first2=Fabienne |last3=Comerford |first3=Milo |title=Addressing the Intersection of Misogyny, Targeted Hate and Violent Extremism |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=April 2026 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Addressing-the-intersection-of-misogyny-targeted-hate-and-violent-extremism.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{craanen2026addressing, author = {Craanen, Anne and Tarrant, Fabienne and Comerford, Milo}, title = {{Addressing the Intersection of Misogyny, Targeted Hate and Violent Extremism}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Addressing-the-intersection-of-misogyny-targeted-hate-and-violent-extremism.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }