حاسبوا_على_كلامكم#

Instagram is a place where people express themselves, get inspired and connect with each other. And while the majority of experiences people have online are positive, we know that many people experience online bullying. We recognize this issue has to be addressed and we are committed to leading the industry in the fight against bullying. We want Instagram to be a safe and supportive place for our Egyptian community, especially young people who are particularly vulnerable to this threat.

حاسبوا_على_كلامكم# (#ChooseWordsWisely) is an appeal to our community to share more consciously, and consider the damage that different forms of online bullying can cause, especially among young people. It also empowers our community in Egypt to stay safe on Instagram by increasing understanding of our rules around bullying and how to use our anti-bullying tools. These tools help people protect their account from bullies and unwanted contact, encourage positive interactions, and empower people to stand up for themselves.

And we’re not doing this alone. We are joining forces with Egypt’s National Council for Women, Egypt’s National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, UNICEF Egypt; to provide the local resources and support lines needed to help bullying victims. In addition, we’ve brought together some of the most vocal voices against bullying in the country who will be sharing their experiences of bullying and how to overcome it in the course of the next few weeks on their Instagram profiles.

Bullying is a global and industry-wide issue and we have an opportunity to address it here in Egypt. Every voice can make a difference and here’s how you can help be the change:

1. Download the anti-bullying toolkit. You can share these assets on your Stories with your followers and save it on Highlights so people can revisit it at any time.
2. Change your profile picture to this image to show your support to the cause
3. Use the campaign filter to share your pledge against bullying
4. Keep an eye on our partners Instagram profiles as we will be sharing educational and informative content on how to prevent and combat online bullying

For more information about how to tackle online bullying in Egypt and to get support, visit the below:

National Council for Women: Women who have been bullied can get in touch through the official NCW complaints office hotline 15115 from 9am to 9pm, or via WhatsApp number 01007525600 or email: Complain.Office.2001@gmail.com. Support channels are ready to receive women’s complaints from all forms of violence including bullying & provide legal & psychological consultations. http://ncw.gov.eg/

National Council for Childhood and Motherhood: Both bullies and bullying victims can get help through the “Child Helpline 16000” or through the WhatsApp application on 01102121600, or can send us a message on the official National Council for Childhood and Motherhood social pages.

UNICEF Egypt: Resources on Cyberbullying and Internet Safety: https://www.unicef.org/egypt/protecting-children-cyberbullying