OECD Forum Virtual Event – How to Prevent Online Gender-Based Violence and Disinformation from Silencing Women in Public Life

Gender equality in public life has long been an uphill battle. This OECD Forum Virtual Event, organised together with Women Political Leaders (WPL) and taking place on March 30th, will explore how we can best address online gender-based violence and disinformation and their consequences on women’s participation in public life. // Banner image: Shutterstock//akilash sooravally
OECD Forum Virtual Event – How to Prevent Online Gender-Based Violence and Disinformation from Silencing Women in Public Life
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Organised together with Women Political Leaders (WPL), the OECD Forum Virtual Event will focus on the spread of online violence and gender-based disinformation, which can have severe consequences for women’s participation in public life, as they may be discouraged from seeking political careers, be pushed out of politics, and be prevented from achieving leadership roles in academia, business, and civil society more broadly.

OECD members have identified online GBV as an urgent priority, calling for the OECD to significantly step up its work in this area, and identify concrete actions to tackle threats to women’s democratic representation and the risks of online violence and gender-based disinformation. In November 2022 the OECD Global Forum on “Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy” hosted a dedicated session on “Addressing Barriers to Women’s Democratic Representation”, including discussions focused on the importance of understanding the threats posed to women in politics by the growing use of digital fora and social media platforms, and on the actions to take to address this problem.

A new WPL Women’s Political Career Report to be launched in April highlights that 85% of surveyed women politicians across 66 countries have received online abuse, and more than one in ten had suffered physical violence.

People of all genders and sexual orientations can be affected by online GBV, especially those with a public presence, including politicians, activists and journalists. Certain groups of women, girls, LGBTQI persons, including women belonging to ethnic minorities, indigenous women and women with disabilities are more vulnerable and exposed to online GBV than others.

According to a global survey on online violence against women journalists conducted by UNESCO and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in late 2020, 73% of female journalists surveyed had experienced online violence in the course of their work. Threats of physical violence, including death threats, were identified by 25% and sexual violence by 18%. And 13% described threats of violence against those close to them, including children. One in five respondents (20%) said they had been attacked or abused offline in incidents seeded online.

A new WPL Women’s Political Career Report to be launched in April highlights that 85% of surveyed women politicians across 66 countries have received online abuse, and more than one in ten had suffered physical violence.

Online GBV includes cyberstalking, cyberbullying, online sexual harassment, online hate speech, and doxxing, which entails publicly releasing someone’s personal information online, such as their address or intimate photos, without their consent, and key in facilitating physical harassment and violence.  

Without urgent action, we risk going backwards on progress in terms of the representation of women in public life. We will not only see more and more women step back from public life, but we will also struggle to attract a diverse pipeline of politicians, business and civil society leaders in future, which can put democracy at risk.

Women and girls suffer physical, mental, reputational and economic harm due to online GBV. They often end up withdrawing from the digital sphere, silencing and isolating themselves and eventually losing opportunities to build their education, professional career and support networks.

We have already seen politicians stepping down due to abuse and intimidation and it is becoming a barrier to those considering running for election. It has major implications for the representation in politics, as female politicians and those from minority ethnic backgrounds receive disproportionate levels of abuse.

Without urgent action, we risk going backwards on progress in terms of the representation of women in public life. We will not only see more and more women step back from public life, but we will also struggle to attract a diverse pipeline of politicians, business and civil society leaders in future, which can put democracy at risk.

The internet is the town square of the 21st century. It is where debate takes place, communities are built, products are sold and reputations are made. While digitalisation offers new opportunities for women and girls to voice their opinions and participate in public life, the scale of online abuse means that, for too many women, this digital town square is unsafe. This is a threat to progress on gender equality.

International organisations, governments, academia, tech and social media companies and civil society must all work together to create an environment that effectively tracks, regulates and sanctions online gender-based violence and promotes women’s civic and political leadership. The OECD Forum Virtual Event will ensure that we take stock of what progress has been made, and what further action needs to be taken by all parties involved.

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SCENARIO

14:30               Welcome & Moderation:  Michael Kaufman, Author and Co-Founder of White Ribbon Campaign

14:35               Opening Keynote: Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, Deputy Secretary-General; OECD Gender & Diversity Champion,

14:45 -15:45     Panel Discussion

15:45-16:00     Q&A

16:00               Closing

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