Rural sector told to submit evidence of online abuse using new portal

Results of a survey show that the online bullying of rural communities continues to grow year on year
Results of a survey show that the online bullying of rural communities continues to grow year on year

The Countryside Alliance has launched a new portal for rural-based people to report evidence of online abuse.

The Countryside Alliance said it "strongly condemns" online bullying of any kind and has campaigned to raise awareness of the issue.

The Alliance has become concerned over the last couple of years about the rise of online abuse against the country sports community and the farming industry.

Earlier this year, the Alliance surveyed its members’ to identify the true extent of online bullying directed at rural communities.

Over 500 people responded, 62% of whom had experienced online bullying or harassment for supporting country sports.

The results showed that the online bullying of rural communities continues to grow year on year and has become more "aggressive and antagonistic", the group says.

In response to the results, the Alliance has launched a dedicated portal where those who receive online abuse can send their evidence, including details of the incident, screenshots and any response received from the social media platform.

The information provided will power the next phase of the Alliance’s campaign, helping demonstrate the scale of the problem to Parliamentarians and lobby social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to do more to stop the abuse of rural communities.

Sarah Lee, Head of Policy at the Countryside Alliance, said the online bullying of rural communities continues to grow year on year.

“Everyone should feel safe when using social media and appropriate protections should be in place to prevent attacks designed to intimidate and silence," she said.

Ms Lee added: “This new online portal will help us to collect the necessary evidence to take our campaign forward. The Government and social media platforms need to act now to reassure country sports supporters that content on platforms is policed properly and all forms of abuse are taken seriously no matter which community is targeted."