Meta restores Sherele Moody’s Instagram after backlash
The Australian Femicide Watch account’s back after politicians and advocates challenged its removal over platform rules.
Meta has reinstated femicide researcher Sherele Moody’s Australian Femicide Watch Instagram account following backlash over its removal and accusations that it was censoring reporting on violence against women and children.
The account’s restoration follows calls from Moody, politicians and advocacy groups for Meta to reverse the decision.
Moody said the platform disabled her account on Sunday, citing a breach of its community standards but not identifying which content broke its rules.
“Why is talking about women’s safety so offensive?” she said on Thursday.
I've been working to end violence for more than 11 years and it feels like the hurdles are becoming insurmountable. Meta disabled by Instagram account on Sunday because it deemed my documentation of murdered women and children and my reporting on gendered violence to go 'against community standards'. Meanwhile, horrible people are constantly sending me death and other threats, which Meta says do not breach its standards. I have appealed the decision and am hopeful it will reverse the ban. Instagram is my key advocacy platform and also generates many of the t-shirt sales that keep my work sustainable. I am so disappointed by this decision that I am struggling to keep going. I am going to step back from socials for a little while because this has been a huge blow and I need to recalibrate. I hope to return soon. Meanwhile, you are welcome to follow on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn and you can subscribe to my blog and website via https://t.co/nHzkWPNcYV
— Sherele Moody (Femicide Researcher) 🌈 (@ShereleMoody) November 9, 2026
A key platform for advocacy
Moody, who runs Australian Femicide Watch, documents women killed across Australia. The project reported earlier this week that 61 women had been killed this year.
According to Change.org Australia, her Instagram account had 150,000 followers before it was disabled.
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“Instagram is my key advocacy platform and also generates many of the t-shirt sales that keep my work sustainable,” Moody wrote on X after losing access.
She also questioned the platform’s handling of threats directed at her.
“Meanwhile, horrible people are constantly sending me death and other threats, which Meta says do not breach its standards.”
Before restoring the account, Meta told PEDESTRIAN.TV that it had escalated the case for an internal review.
“We're aware of the situation regarding Sherele Moody's account, and we have escalated it internally for further review,” Meta told P.TV.
Politicians challenge the removal
The account’s suspension prompted criticism from MP Shannon Fentiman, who questioned how Moody’s reporting could breach Instagram’s rules.
“How does documenting the lives of murdered women and children, and shining a light on gendered violence, breach ‘community standards’?” she wrote on Instagram.
“For more than a decade, Sherele has been a tireless advocate for women and children.
“This is incredibly important work that deserves recognition, not censorship.”
Change.org Australia also drew attention to Moody’s petition calling for a royal commission into the killing of Australian women and girls, which it said had attracted more than 176,000 signatures.
Moody had announced plans to step back from social media following the suspension, describing the loss of her main advocacy platform as a significant blow.
“I am so disappointed by this decision that I am struggling to keep going.”
Moody has directed supporters to Australian Femicide Watch’s website and her Facebook, X, TikTok and LinkedIn accounts while she steps back.
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