Face Forward:
public life, protected
Protecting women in public life while generating the evidence and tools needed for long‑term, global change
Face Forward is a fully funded, two-year applied research initiative providing real‑time protection from technology-facilitated gender-based violence on social media for women and gender diverse people in public life — while building the evidence needed to make digital participation safer worldwide.
The non-partisan initiative is available to women election candidates and elected officials at all levels of government across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific.
Supported by:
Women and non‑binary people are disproportionately targeted with technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence, and this abuse has real consequences: it discourages people from running, pushes elected officials out of public life, and narrows the pipeline of future leaders.
In Australia, research from The Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and Women For Election identifies online abuse as one of the major barriers the leading barrier limiting women’s political participation, affecting candidate recruitment, retention, and wellbeing.
About Face Forward
Face Forward is a non‑partisan, region‑wide initiative led by Areto, delivered with the support of ministries, local councils, political parties, and public institutions committed to safer democratic participation. The initiative includes a research programme by The Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL) at the Australian National University.
Over two years, the initiative will:
provide real‑time protection from technology‑facilitated gender‑based violence (TFGBV)
study how online harms appear across different cultural and political contexts
generate the evidence, insights, and frameworks that governments and organisations worldwide can use
Face Forward operates across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands, and is fully funded for all participants.
Let’s face it: in public life, online abuse isn’t the exception — it’s the norm.
Face Forward brings together two things that rarely happen at the same time: real‑time protection for people in public life, and applied research that strengthens the systems around them.
What Face Forward does
-
Participants receive free access to Areto’s multi-lingual, content moderation system, a tool that helps manage public social media channels by:
moderating comments in real time
filtering harmful or abusive content based on your chosen threshold
reducing the volume of high‑risk content you personally see
flagging patterns of coordinated or escalating abuse
highlighting supportive comments and positive engagement, so you can see the people backing you — not just the ones trying to silence you
-
GIWL will study:
how online harms show up across different cultures and political systems
how effective real‑time protection is
what conditions help women and gender diverse candidates stay safely engaged in public life
The insights from the research will be translated into policy guidance, institutional frameworks, and practical tools that governments, political parties, and organisations can adopt long after the project ends.
Face Forward isn’t just about responding to harm — it’s about building a model the rest of the world can use.
Get involved
Join Face Forward
Face Forward is open to women and non-binary people in public life, and the social media managers and organisations that support them. Find out how to get involved below.
Why Face Forward matters:
When talented, diverse leaders can’t safely show up online, everyone loses. Creating safer digital conditions isn’t optional, it’s a duty of care, and a prerequisite for fair representation.
Thick skin shouldn’t be part of anyone’s job description. And TFGBV isn’t just “part of the job.”
It’s driving people away from public life, undermining democracy, and taking a real toll on mental health and safety.
We know one-size-fits-all solutions don’t work – especially across cultures, languages, and political systems. That’s why Face Forward will blend:
real-time protection
local context
research and iteration
and community leadership
Our goal?
To keep learning, improving, and sharing what works, so safety becomes the norm, not the exception.
And to build long-term protection into at least 500 ongoing public roles.
Get in touch
Not sure where you fit in?
If you have questions about Face Forward or aren't sure which path is right for you, we'd love to hear from you.
GET IN TOUCHNews
Reports
Get involved with Face Forward
FOR PARTICIPANTS
Ready to join?
Registration is free and open to eligible women and non-binary people in public life across the region.
Not sure? Get in touch
FOR ORGANISATIONS
Get your network involved
Partner with Face Forward to support women and non-binary leaders in your network.
Questions? Content the team