{"id":12161,"date":"2024-06-05T12:18:17","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T16:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/?p=12161"},"modified":"2024-06-05T12:19:36","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T16:19:36","slug":"a-new-gender-deal-for-our-digital-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/a-new-gender-deal-for-our-digital-world\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Gender Deal for our digital world"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A New Gender Deal should be included<\/a> as part of the outcomes of the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) if our digital future is to be an inclusive and empowering one for women and girls, panelists stressed at a session at the recent WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event<\/a> in Geneva.<\/p>\n\n

Under the theme \u201dGender Equality and Inclusion in Our Digital Future: A New Gender Deal for WSIS+20<\/a>,\u201d the session took a closer look at the proposed United Nations Global Digital Compact<\/a> (GDC) through the lens of gender equality and women\u2019s digital rights. WACC and the Global Alliance on Media and Gender<\/a> (GAMAG) co-organized the 29 May session.<\/p>\n\n

\"Aim\u00e9e

Aim\u00e9e Vega Montiel, GAMAG chair<\/p><\/div>\n

The internet and digital technologies, the global digital architecture, and all elements of local and global tech ecosystems today are still far from being inclusive and empowering for women and girls, moderator and GAMAG chair Aim\u00e9e Vega Montiel said in her introduction.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s rights are being eroded, in an era where a Global Digital Compact is proposed as a roadmap for key digital principles globally,\u201d she noted, pointing to a deepening digital gender divide, increasing power imbalances, and surging forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). \u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe want to open spaces such as this one to put women\u2019s voice at the center of global debates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Closing gender gaps in the Global Digital Compact<\/h2>\n\n
\"Anita

Anita Gurumurthy, IT for Change executive director<\/p><\/div>\n

While the first revision of the GDC notes the need to address the concentration of digital market power, it does not analyze markets through a gender lens, Anita Gurumurthy, executive director of IT for Change<\/a>, pointed out.<\/p>\n\n

Actions are needed to challenge the status quo rather than simply adding women to the existing unequal system, she stressed. \u201cGender equality is not about sharing in the poisoned pie; you need a different pie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Gurumurthy noted that the imagination of public participation is missing from the GDC, with the default being that the market will provide for women\u2019s rights. \u201cWe need stronger articulation of sovereignty of the people, individuals and communities, which is extremely vital for feminist principles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Online violence silencing women<\/h2>\n\n
\"Albertina

Albertina Piterbarg, UNESCO Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists<\/p><\/div>\n

TFGBV is amplifying risks and harms for women who want to be part of the digital public space, according to Albertina Piterbarg, who works with UNESCO\u2019s section on freedom of expression and the safety of journalists<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Drawing on her particular focus on the intersection between freedom of expression and political participation, she observed that the public arena is \u201ca site for power.\u201d In this digital space of power, gender biases and stereotypes are being amplified to manipulate public perceptions.<\/p>\n\n

She also flagged the lack of algorithm transparency, with the result that it is not clear whether women are able to exercise the same right to visibility on platforms as men.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Piterbarg pointed out that platforms are not interlocutors for everyone, only in countries where companies are domiciled, meaning that users in global majority nations often have no resource in the case of misinformation or online harassment or abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

Collaboration with digital platforms<\/h2>\n\n
\"Sylvia

Sylvia Musalagani, Meta head of safety policy for Africa, Middle East, and Turkey<\/p><\/div>\n

Sylvia Musalagani, Meta<\/a> head of safety policy for Africa, Middle East, and Turkey, spoke of the importance of the platform\u2019s collaboration with civil society in informing the development of gender-sensitive community guidelines and safety tools.<\/p>\n\n

This consultation with non-profit organizations, academics, activists, and others is key to Meta\u2019s understanding how their policies and products impact women and girls and their participation on the platforms.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWe recognize that we are not the experts in everything,\u201d she said. Working with civil society means \u201cwe are able to do much more to protect everyone who uses our technologies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Musalagani highlighted the need for regulation, for governmental policies that enhance women\u2019s participation online and address any biases that hinder this participation.<\/p>\n\n

Towards a gender-just Global Digital Compact<\/h2>\n\n
\"Reem

Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls<\/p><\/div>\n

The GDC \u201coffers a historic opportunity to shape a digital future that is safe, equitable, and empowering,\u201d said Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

She outlined a series of recommendations to ensure that this key global digital governance framework is not only inclusive of women and girls but also seeks to protect and empower them.<\/p>\n\n

A standalone goal to prioritize the rights of women and girls would be useful, Alsalem said. This means the right to live free from violence and benefit equally from technological advances.<\/p>\n\n

The UN Special Rapporteur suggested creating a dedicated gender equality committee to integrate gender perspectives, comprising experts in gender, digital rights, and cybersecurity, as well as representatives from women rights organizations and survivors of digital violence. \u201cThis would ensure that our strategies are informed by lived experience and specialized knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Alsalem also recommended implementing a mandatory gender impact assessment for all digital policies and initiatives to anticipate and mitigate potential negative impacts. \u201cThis pro-active approach will ensure that gender considerations are embedded in the very fabric of our digital governance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

She further suggested promoting gender parity in decision-making bodies related to digital technologies to ensure diverse perspectives and equitable outcomes, developing comprehensive online safety standards that prioritize the protection of women and girls, and facilitating international data sharing given the cross-border nature of TFGBV.<\/p>\n\n

Call for a systemic approach<\/h2>\n\n

To ensure a gender-responsive, gender-aware GDC, it is essential that there is recognition of misogyny \u2014 a misogyny that is \u201con steroids\u201d in society today, Gurumurthy stressed. The aim is not to stifle freedom of expression, she clarified, but to \u201ctake responsibility for the consequences of what is being realized in the name of innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

She urged that the GDC hold rights bearers accountable for violating human rights regardless of jurisdiction.<\/p>\n\n

The panelists stressed the need for systemic solutions rather than individualizing problems. Piterbarg noted that it is important to address the \u201cchilling effects\u201d of the structure of TFGBV and to consider the lack of equality overall in the world of knowledge, communication, and information.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s voices are not able to be heard because the right to be heard is not there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

A New Gender Deal for WSIS+20<\/h2>\n\n

GAMAG has been advocating for a New Gender Deal in Media and Digital Communication<\/a> since 2021.<\/p>\n\n

\"Philip

Philip Lee, WACC general secretary<\/p><\/div>\n

Since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, WACC has sought to address gender inequality perpetuated in and through the media<\/a> \u2014 to stop unequal gender power relations at the root of discriminatory attitudes and practices from being normalized and further entrenched, noted WACC General Secretary Philip Lee. The New Gender Deal for WSIS+20 is a natural continuation to advance gender justice in today\u2019s digital media.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a call on all relevant actors \u2014 the UN system, governments, media and digital corporations, also civil society organizations \u2014 to support the inclusion of a new gender deal in the digital ecosystem,\u201d Vega Montiel announced.<\/p>\n\n

This new gender deal for WSIS+20 should examine existing norms and reinforce mechanisms to strengthen gender equality within the digital sector and implement actions to respond to the urgent needs identified in the conversation thus far, she said.<\/p>\n\n

These needs include universal and safe access to the digital ecosystem, regulatory and co-regulatory mechanisms at different levels, frameworks for algorithmic transparency, digital literacy with a gender component, safety for women journalists and human rights defenders, and steps to respond and end TFGBV as well as offline violence against women and girls.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOur goal is to urge the international community to recognize the centrality of all these issues in achieving gender equality, to ensure the inclusion in the Global Digital Compact, and to assume the responsibility in pursuing women\u2019s digital rights,\u201d Vega Montiel said.<\/p>\n

Iraqi refugee women in Jordan learn computer skills with help from one of their daughters. <\/em>Photo: Paul Jeffrey\/Life on Earth<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Discover the key takeaways of the session \u201cGender Equality and Inclusion in Our Digital Future: A New Gender Deal for WSIS+20\u201d at the WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event in 2024.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Outcomes Document<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A New Gender Deal should be included as part of the outcomes of the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) if our digital future is to be an inclusive and empowering one for women and girls, panelists stressed at a…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":12188,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,160],"tags":[245,247,248,249,170,254,255,253],"class_list":["post-12161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-media","category-news","tag-digital-gender-gap","tag-digitalization-and-gender","tag-gamag","tag-gender-cyberviolence","tag-gender-based-violence","tag-global-digital-compact","tag-united-nations","tag-wsis20"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12161"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12161\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12197,"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12161\/revisions\/12197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whomakesthenews.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}