United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director, Natalia Kanem has said on a daily basis more people, services and activities are moving online and this increases the risk of digital violence happening to more women and girls.
Kanem in her speech shared with the media on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Thursday, said: “We must recognise the scope of this crisis and not delay action for even one more day, the right to live free from violence applies everywhere and does not disappear with an internet connection,” she said.
Kanem said that digital violence is driving women offline because they cannot otherwise escape from it.
“When girls interrupt their education or elected women parliamentarians cannot carry out their duties because of a torrent of online assaults, they suffer violations of their rights. We all lose their capabilities and leadership in our societies,” she added.
Kanem said the UNFPA calls on legislators, journalists, civil society and those with influence to speak out, stand up and take action, noting that one simple yet devastating fact is that women around the world currently have fewer ways to protect themselves online than copyrighted intellectual property.
“Violating a copyright can result in immediate removal of materials and criminal and civil penalties, women and girls facing the non-consensual sharing of their images should have even more vigorous protections. Digital violence cuts across borders and regulatory systems, stopping it will require new ways of thinking and new forms of collaboration among regulators, tech firms, digital activists and women’s rights advocates,” said Kanem.
She further said digital violence takes place in many forms. Perpetrators may threaten and stalk women online or may without permission, attach pictures of women’s and girls’ faces to sexualised bodies and share them widely over social media.
“Vicious online campaigns of hate speech and abuse target women with public roles, such as politicians and journalists as well as women’s rights activists. To stop it, we need to do more to define and measure it. We must better understand what forms it takes, what impact it has, and what works to respond to and prevent it,” she urged.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
