Twitter launches emojis to raise awareness on women’s rights

In partnership with UN Women and the UN Human Rights Office, Twitter is launching custom emojis to spread awareness on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Wednesday and Human Rights Day on December 10.

The emojis will appear when people tweet with the hashtags #GenerationEquality, #OrangeTheWorld, #16Days, #HumanRightsDay, and other localised hashtags, Twitter said on Tuesday.

Twitter said it is also supporting local nonprofits across the world by providing "Ads for Good" grants to several partners to ensure that they can use the power of Twitter's advertising platform to reach more people.

Throughout the next #16Days, the microblogging platform will also amplify various regional campaigns and messages about the importance of gender equality and combatting violence against women to increase engagement and awareness.

"We have seen the whole world respond to the coronavirus pandemic with all hands on deck, and with responsive investment and protocols backed by determination. Violence against women is also a pandemic -- one that predates the virus and will outlive it," Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women, said in a statement.

"As we face COVID-19's devastation, there has never been a more important moment to put our combined resources and commitment behind the biggest issues, and work with partners like Twitter to end violence against women and girls for good."

In addition to elevating the public conversation, Twitter has also partnered with health authorities and nonprofit organizations in various markets to expand its #ThereIsHelp notification service.

When people search terms associated with gender-based violence on Twitter, they will receive a notification with contact information for local hotlines and other resources to encourage them to reach out for help.

Since the initial rollout at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Twitter has expanded the prompts to reach 24 markets spanning countries such as India, Australia, Mexico, Thailand, the UK, the US, and more.

Cases of violence against women have increased this year.

According to the United Nations Population Fund, for every three months the COVID-19 lockdown continues, an additional 15 million women are expected to be directly affected by violence.