And Kate Allen, director of Amnesty UK, said that the results show that there’s a “staggering level of violence and abuse against women” on Twitter. “These results back up what women have long been saying – that Twitter is endemic with racism, misogyny and homophobia,” she said.

“The online space is an important platform for political and public conversation, and women must feel safe to express themselves and engage in debate without fear of abuse. Twitter is failing to be transparent about the extent of the problem, but if our volunteers can gather meaningful data about online violence and abuse, so can Twitter. The company must take concrete steps to properly protect women’s rights on the platform.”

Twitter says that abusive content violates their rules, but asked Amnesty if it could clarify the definition of ‘problematic’ “in accordance with the need to protect free expression and ensure policies are clearly and narrowly drafted” – a response that will not surprise those who have faced abuse on the platform.

Amnesty has called on the platform to improve its reporting structures.

“We are experiencing a watershed moment with women around the world using their collective power to speak out about the abuse they face and amplify their voices through social media platforms,” it says.

“However, Twitter’s failure to effectively tackle violence and abuse on the platform has a chilling effect on freedom of expression online and undermines women’s mobilisation for equality and justice – particularly groups of women who already face discrimination and marginalisation.”

Images: Unsplash

Women abused on Twitter every thirty seconds