Defamation, gender-based insults dominate online attacks on Moroccan women candidates

Women candidates faced widespread online abuse during Morocco’s 2026 parliamentary election campaign, with defamation, gender-based insults and unverified information among the most frequently documented forms of violence, according to a new monitoring study.

Conducted by the National Observatory for Protection from Digital Violence in partnership with the Tahadi Association for Equality and Citizenship, the study examined online attacks targeting women who headed electoral lists during the official campaign period from Sept. 10 to 23.

Researchers monitored 42 candidates across several regions and electoral districts, documenting 628 cases collected by 21 observers from civil society organisations.

Defamation was recorded in 481 cases, while gender-based hate speech or degrading content appeared in 436. The publication of unverified information was documented in 405 cases.

Fake news and rumors featured in 376 cases, or 59.9% of the total, while violations involving candidates’ private lives were recorded in 271 cases.

Threats and intimidation appeared in 64 cases. Researchers also documented 25 cases involving manipulated photos or videos and 23 in which the use of artificial intelligence tools was suspected.

The categories overlap, as a single post or incident could involve multiple forms of abuse.

Attacks frequently combined several forms of abuse

Defamation and gender-based degradation appeared together in 330 cases, accounting for 52.5% of all documented incidents, according to the study.

Defamation was combined with attacks on candidates’ private lives in 247 cases, while privacy violations and gender-based degradation appeared together in 205 cases. Threats or intimidation were accompanied by gender-based degradation in 57 cases.

The researchers said the findings show that online political violence against women often takes several forms at once, with individual posts potentially damaging a candidate’s reputation, spreading misleading information, targeting her gender and exposing details of her private life.

Study identifies gaps in legal protection

The study also examined whether Morocco’s legal framework adequately addresses digital abuse during elections.

It noted that amendments to Organic Law 27.11 on the House of Representatives, adopted ahead of the 2026 election, explicitly recognise social media, online platforms, internet-based applications, information systems and artificial intelligence tools as potential means of committing electoral offences.

However, the inclusion of digital platforms in electoral legislation does not automatically make every form of online abuse a criminal offence, the researchers said.

Criminal proceedings may require authorities to establish whether information was false, identify the person responsible for publishing it, demonstrate the required criminal intent and determine whether the content was connected to the election.

AI-generated or manipulated images and videos can further complicate investigations, requiring authorities to determine whether material is authentic, altered or artificially generated.

The researchers identified three main gaps: a difference between broader social and human rights definitions of digital violence and the narrower scope of criminal offences; difficulties in collecting and verifying digital evidence; and insufficiently targeted protections against forms of abuse specifically directed at women participating in politics.

Researchers call for faster reporting and stronger support

The study recommends establishing a faster national mechanism for receiving complaints about online content during election periods, alongside closer cooperation between public institutions and digital platforms, while safeguarding freedom of expression and preserving evidence.

It also calls on political parties to provide candidates with digital safety training and support them in documenting and reporting abuse.

The findings highlight the challenges of protecting women’s participation in electoral politics as online platforms and emerging technologies create new channels for harassment, intimidation and the circulation of misleading content.