 | Each year the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the UN body where Member States come together to discuss the challenges to gender equality, negotiates on a theme that has a major impact on women and girls’ lives. The theme of this year’s session (6-17th March) is “innovation, technological change and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. A current topic, as the digital revolution has been accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased technology’s importance in education, employment and health and in our social lives. |
A great help and a great risk
With the right policies and efforts in place, technology can help address learning challenges, shrink the gender gap in science and technology and ensure a more equal participation of women and girls in our societies. It can improve women and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. However, digitalization also comes with a range of risks that require governments to put rules and regulations in place to make sure new technological developments don’t undermine or violate women’s and girls’ human rights.
Online safety for women and girls
A major concern is gender-based violence, which is as prominent online as it is offline. Globally, more than one in three women experience violence in their life-time. It’s estimated that one in ten women in Africa is confronted with cyberviolence as early as the age of 15. Cyber bullying of female adolescents and LGBTQI+ youth is a common problem across countries, e.g. affecting almost half of all under 17-year-olds in the US.
Prejudices and trolls
Algorithms are increasingly determining what kind of information people are provided with and shape people’s understanding of the world. However, they are known to have a tendency to reinforce sexist and racist prejudices.
Women who speak out publicly – such as journalists, politicians, academics or human rights defenders - also risk armies of trolls, causing great distress and discouraging their participation in public debates and decision making. This makes it harder to engage in open and informed dialogues about sexual and reproductive health needs and the rights people are entitled too.
Disinformation on the internet
Ensuring evidence-based, trustworthy and youth friendly online information is important to combat misleading information on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Misinformation includes anti-abortion organisations targeting women and girls faced with an unplanned pregnancy on social media, or youth websites encouraging an abstinence only approach.
Protecting human rights
Representatives of all UN-Member States will discuss the challenges with digitalization to adopt joint conclusions. These conclusions provide guidance to governments to implement measures that advance and protect women and girls’ human rights. SRHR will be one of Belgium’s priorities.
With the right policies and efforts in place, technology can help address learning challenges, shrink the gender gap in science and technology and ensure a more equal participation of women and girls in our societies. It can improve women and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. However, digitalization also comes with a range of risks that require governments to put rules and regulations in place to make sure new technological developments don’t undermine or violate women’s and girls’ human rights.
Online safety for women and girls
A major concern is gender-based violence, which is as prominent online as it is offline. Globally, more than one in three women experience violence in their life-time. It’s estimated that one in ten women in Africa is confronted with cyberviolence as early as the age of 15. Cyber bullying of female adolescents and LGBTQI+ youth is a common problem across countries, e.g. affecting almost half of all under 17-year-olds in the US.
Prejudices and trolls
Algorithms are increasingly determining what kind of information people are provided with and shape people’s understanding of the world. However, they are known to have a tendency to reinforce sexist and racist prejudices.
Women who speak out publicly – such as journalists, politicians, academics or human rights defenders - also risk armies of trolls, causing great distress and discouraging their participation in public debates and decision making. This makes it harder to engage in open and informed dialogues about sexual and reproductive health needs and the rights people are entitled too.
Disinformation on the internet
Ensuring evidence-based, trustworthy and youth friendly online information is important to combat misleading information on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Misinformation includes anti-abortion organisations targeting women and girls faced with an unplanned pregnancy on social media, or youth websites encouraging an abstinence only approach.
Protecting human rights
Representatives of all UN-Member States will discuss the challenges with digitalization to adopt joint conclusions. These conclusions provide guidance to governments to implement measures that advance and protect women and girls’ human rights. SRHR will be one of Belgium’s priorities.
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