How women in the global south are reclaiming social media to combat femicide

In May 2017, countless South African women took to Twitter and Facebook to share their harrowing experiences of abuse under the hashtag #MenAreTrash. The outpour of tweets and Facebook posts was sparked by the murder of Karabo Mokoena, a 22-year-old woman who was allegedly killed and burned by her boyfriend. Although the wording of #MenAreTrash has caused controversy, that will not be the focal point of this column. Instead, I want to focus on how social network sites (SNS) have provided women in the Global South with a platform to voice their opinions and bring to light conversations that often remain in the dark.