“I am drowning under the weight of hatred”: The scope and nature of TFGBV in Tajikistan

The tenth issue of ‘Evidence Bits’ is based on the publication: “I am drowning under the weight of hatred”: The scope and nature of TFGBV in Tajikistan authored by Women’s Center “Gulrukhsor” Founder and Chair of the Board of Trustees, Gulbakhor Makhkamova, and Programmes Manager, Victoria Fletcher, published on 13th November by GenderIT.ORG: https://www.genderit.org/feminist-talk/i-am-drowning-under-weight-hatred-scope-and-nature-tfgbv-tajikistan

The article examines the phenomenon of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) experienced by women in Tajikistan. It explores how digital platforms — social media, messaging apps, online comment threads — are used to target women, often in connection with their public presence, views, or perceived deviation from traditional norms. Through qualitative and quantitative data (including reported cases, interviews and digital evidence), the authors map out the scope, forms and nature of online abuse, situating it within broader social, cultural and structural patterns of gender-based violence in Tajikistan.

The paper argues that TFGBV in Tajikistan is not a separate phenomenon but deeply intertwined with offline gender-based violence and patriarchal norms, serving to reinforce, magnify and extend threats into the digital realm.

The research reveals that TFGBV in Tajikistan is widespread, varied, and deeply harmful: it includes hate speech, defamation, doxxing (sharing private/personal information), sexualised insults, threats of violence or “moral punishment,” and is often motivated by control over women’s behaviour or reputations.

Many incidents involve hate speech rooted in cultural stereotypes. Women are attacked for failing to conform to the idealised model of a “traditional Tajik woman,” with abuse framed as defence of morality, national values, or family honour.