The call to stop censoring vital gynae health information online.
Earlier this month, an educational post from The Eve Appeal showing an illustration of vulval anatomy was removed from Instagram after being flagged as possibly containing ‘nudity or sexual activity’.
Social media plays a key role in sharing educational information on topics like gynae health. When educational content is hidden, distorted, and accounts are taken down or forced to self censor, stigma persists.
The CensHERship white paper found that 95% of nearly 200 women’s health organisations, charities, creators, and brands have reported experiencing censorship, suppression, or restrictions when discussing women’s health online.
Checking your vulval skin for changes is critical in the prevention and early diagnosis of vulval cancer. Right now, we know awareness of vulval cancer is woefully low and it is a cancer on the rise. Far too many don’t know that this cancer exists, or the signs to look out for. Patients with symptoms can face stigma and embarrassment, which often prevents them from seeking help quickly. And sadly, we speak to women who say they only learned what a vulva was after being diagnosed with vulval cancer.
Knowledge of your anatomy, getting to know what is normal for your body, and feeling comfortable talking about your gynae health are all critical in preventing disease and getting diagnosed and treated earlier. A shift to prevention is central in the new NHS 10 Year Plan and National Cancer Plan. We applaud and want to support this. Social media plays a key role in sharing lifesaving gynae health information and Instagram is a huge platform that enables organisations like The Eve Appeal to reach people across the world.
That's why we're one of the organisations adding our signature to the open letter to Meta asking to meet with The Eve Appeal to get an explanation of the technology and review team identification standards and to discuss how we can avoid the censorship of educational content on gynaecological health going forward.
Find out more and share your support on their website eveappeal.org.uk.
