CSW70: Building an evidence-based agenda to end gender violence in the media

12 Mar CSW70: Building an evidence-based agenda to end gender violence in the media

Findings from the 7th Global Media Monitoring Project – GMMP will inform the development of actionable steps to stop violence against women and girls in and through the media at an event on 17 March at 18:30–20:00 EDT (UTC-4) during the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The event, “Justice and Ending Gender Violence in Offline and Digital Media,” is co-organised by WACC Global with the worldwide GMMP network and the Global Alliance on Gender and Media (GAMAG). It is part of the NGO CSW70 Forum running parallel to CSW70 on 9–19 March in New York City.

“Media and digital violence are two dimensions that obstruct the fulfillment of women’s human rights and women’s access to justice,” says Sarah Macharia, GMMP Global Coordinator.

She notes that GMMP and other research reveals how the media and digital sectors reinforce dynamics that contribute to the structural nature of violence against women.

The GMMP shows that news narratives worldwide are problematic, Macharia adds. “They underplay the scale and seriousness of sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, technology-facilitated and other forms of gender-based violence against women.”

Such sexist stereotypes and re-victimization of women in content persist despite long-time advocacy and targeted international instruments.

Power, gender inequality, and discrimination are all at play – as is profit, she says. The speed at which digital technologies are evolving is another factor.

The WACC session will establish a current baseline on violence against women in both offline and digital media using evidence from the GMMP 2025, and determine priority areas for research, advocacy, and action to encourage gender-just media ecosystems.

These will inform evidence-based recommendations for action by governments, media organisations, and digital corporations to end all forms of gender violence in communication.

GAMAG chair Aimée Vega Montiel will give the keynote address. GMMP coordinators Hang Pham (Vietnam) from CGFED, Abida Pehlic (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe) from Association Novi Put, and Cirenia Ortega (Mexico, Latin America) from CIMAC will share regional and national findings. Macharia will moderate the session.