TerryOudraad
Ms.Oudraad
GWI-NL
Threats and Opportunities of Digital Technologies: Women in the Public Eye 10 Mar, 03:00 PM – 04:15 PM
Luxembourg and Council of Europe
Women in power and decision-making, Women and the economy, Human rights of women, Education and training of women, Violence against women, Women and the media
SDG3 – Good Health and Well-Being, SDG5 – Gender Equality, SDG 10 – Reduced Inequality, SDG16 – Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
Bullying (2016), Harassment (2016), Young Members (2016)
National authorities, institutions, civil society and the private sector have a crucial role to play to keep all women safe and prevent the normalisation of this increasing type of violence.
Although the number of female public figures is increasing, they bear the brunt of technology-facilitated violence because of entrenched gender biases which are as prevalent online as offline. Women in the public eye are prime targets and disproportionately bear the consequences, which include harm on their safety, mental health, dignity and reputation.
Setbacks and challenges arising from/ during the Covid-19 pandemic
Overall the pandemic has shed light on pre-existing gaps already identified by GREVIO in the area of specialist services, magnifying them and/or giving rise to new shortcomings. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence
The Discrimination and Violence against Women Platform (EDVAW Platform) is highly alarmed at the increase in technology-facilitated violence, and what this means for pre-existing power hierarchies. The Platform released its first thematic paper on the digital dimension of violence against women in 2022, with many of the mechanisms also publishing individual studies and policies on the topic.
The Platform is highly concerned with the emerging new digital dimension of violence against women and girls. A standard definition of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls is lacking, which contributes to a global dearth of comparable statistics. However, the data that has been gathered at the national and local levels supports high prevalence rates.
The rapid expansion of digital spaces has not only mirrored but, in many cases, amplified the structural inequalities and patriarchal norms that perpetuate gender-based violence. Online harassment, cyberstalking, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and other forms of digital abuse have become pervasive, disproportionately targeting women and girls on intersecting grounds. This digital violence reinforces existing power imbalances and undermines women and girls participation in society. Digital platforms also fuel misogynistic and sexist attacks making it more difficult for victims to access justice and reparations and exacerbating their social and economic vulnerabilities. The Platform urges a comprehensive and coordinated response to this threat, emphasizing the need for stronger mandatory regulatory frameworks, increased digital literacy, and the development of effective mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable in the virtual realm. Thus, without concerted action, the unchecked rise of technology-facilitated violence threatens to undermine the progress made in advancing gender equality and could entrench the very hierarchies that the Beijing Platform for Action seeks to dismantle.
{How can the session serve GWI members on local. national and/or international levels?:15}
The Council of Europe has been actively promoting gender equality, combating violence against women and girls, and preventing and combating sexism, including in the field of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls. Key instruments include Council of Europe Istanbul Convention, in particular its Article 3a, as interpreted by the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) General Recommendation No.1 on the digital dimension of violence against women, which states that the digital dimension of violence against women encompasses a wide range of behaviour that falls squarely under the definition of violence against women set out under this Article;
Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)1 on preventing and combating sexism which underlines the importance of avoiding potential risks of technology perpetuating and exacerbating sexism by including women and girls in the development of algorithms; and
Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)16 on combating hate speech which highlights the need to ensure mechanisms for the reporting of cases of online hate speech to public authorities and private actors.
More recently, the place of men and boys in gender equality policies and in policies to combat violence against women, as highlighted in the new Guidelines, emphasises that misogynist online and offline spaces that oppose or challenge standards and principles in the area of gender equality and women’s rights are a growing and appropriate measures are needed to counter this resistance. The Council of Europe pays particular attention to preventing and combating violence against women and girls and domestic violence and achieving balanced participation of women and men in political, public, social and economic life, as outlined in its Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029.
