The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says its global survey revealed that 73 per cent of women journalists experience online abuse, harassment, threats and attacks.

Tawfik Jelassi, assistant director-general, Communication and Information, UNESCO, disclosed this at a session to welcome participants to the Global Media and Information Literacy Week in Abuja.

Mr Jelassi said the problem of online violence was increasingly spilling offline, with potentially deadly consequences.

Specifically, he said 20 per cent of women journalists and media workers were being targeted with offline abuse and attacks believed to be connected with online violence they had experienced.

Mr Jelassi said the world needed immediate action, which was the essence of the literacy week to create awareness for consumers of online information.

He said most of the citizens of every country globally now rely on digital platforms as their primary source of information.

“From America to northern Europe, from Asia to North Africa, they shared their experiences in this and the challenge is all the same.

“Seventy-eight per cent of Brazilians take WhatsApp as a primary source of information and these are contents that are not verified,” he said.

The UNESCO official underscored the need for the citizens to be educated on the use of information for the public good and guide against hate speech and online bullying.

He said the week would be devoted to finding solutions to the global challenge by experts that would participate in different sessions.

Mr Jelassi thanked President Muhammadu Buhari, the government and the people of Nigeria for accepting to host the week-long event.

Earlier, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, welcomed participants to the country.

(NAN)