What happens when the backlash is organized? Part 1

This International Women’s Day, the UN theme is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” It is a call to dismantle structural barriers to equal justice.

Our new research with RNW Media shows exactly how one of those barriers works.

We analyzed 27,022 social media posts across Kenya’s digital media spaces and found that anti-gender narratives are not spontaneous public opinion; they are structured, coordinated, and strategically deployed to delay reform and delegitimize gender justice advocacy.

97% of the thematically coded content was anti-LGBTQ+. This is the entry point, and from there, the backlash expands to target feminist organizing, reproductive health rights, and survivor-centered advocacy.