ELIZABETH TALBERT
THE RIGHTS of women in the Caribbean need to be protected, in physical and virtual spaces. The prevalence of cyberviolence, its root causes and impacts is gender-based, with a disproportionate impact on women. Similar types of violence against women and girls occur in offline and online spheres or originate in one sphere and are carried into the other. In the most serious cases, cyberviolence can lead to physical assaults and even suicide.1
One objective of International Women's Day (IWD, March 8) this year is to spotlight the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces. The theme for IWD is 'DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality'.
In 2018, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences defined online violence against women to include any act of gender-based violence (GBV) against women that is committed, assisted or aggravated in part or fully by the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), such as mobile phones and smartphones, the internet, social media platforms or e-mail, against a woman because she is a woman, or affects women disproportionately.2
Women worldwide and in the Caribbean are increasingly falling victim to cyberattacks, particularly via social media. There have also been several instances of stalking and trafficking resulting from cyber activities.
Additionally, the rapidly growing access and use of ICT, accelerated by covid19, has impacted gender equality and women's rights, including the worsening of existing forms of violence against women (VAW), especially sexual harassment, and the emergence of new forms of VAW, such as non-consensual image sharing and harassment of women in virtual spaces.
It is imperative to implement measures to prevent, address and criminalise these acts, to ensure there are consequences for perpetrators. We must also ensure that useful help is available for survivors.
While digital spaces are a challenge for the safety of women and girls, they can be leveraged to protect and promote their rights. Here in the Caribbean, the United Nations - including the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) - has taken several measures, using ICT, to protect our women.
For example - through the EU-funded Spotlight Initiative - in Jamaica the app HOPE (a mobile app) was launched in 2021 in collaboration with the civil society organisation Eve for Life. The app can help you understand if you or someone you know is affected by GBV.
It does this through questions that you can answer. It has information on the rights to a life free from violence in a 'know your rights' section. Through the analysis of scenarios, it also helps address common myths related to GBV. Finally, the app provides hints on the actions that you can take to be safe and the contact information of support services.
The digital space also has the potential to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)
