By Nina Jankowicz, Isabella Gomez-O’Keefe, Lauren Hoffman and Andrea Vidal Becker
Technology facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is not an intractable problem. But it must no longer be the responsibility solely of women’s advocacy groups. Others – technology companies, governments, civil society organizations, law enforcement, businesses, schools – must step up and work in unison to combat TFGBV in order to to reflect its mainstreamed effects on society. This report, drawing on a case study around the online harassment of Australian eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, assesses the state of research on TFGBV as well as recent global policy progress made on this issue, and offers a number of practical solutions to make women and girls safer online. The authors argue that TFGBV must be mainstreamed to be mitigated, centering women’s experiences in broader policy debates. Technology companies, governments, civic tech organizations, law enforcement, employers, schools, and others must mainstream their work to combat TFGBV to reflect its mainstreamed effects on society. To this end, the authors recommend a number of practical solutions to the specific and pressing issues that women and girls face online today. Addressing the urgent changes described here will not only make women and girls safer and ensure their voices are heard, but also improve the safety and free expression for everyone who uses the internet, building more robust, representative democracies.
The recommendations are presented under the following themes:
Ensuring platform accountability and action
Urgently addressing deepfake image-based sexual abuse
Supporting victims and survivors of TFGBV
Deepening research and mainstreaming advocacy.
New York: Columbia University, Institute of Global Politics, 2024. 41p.