Digital Me: Being youth, women, and/or gender-diverse online | IGF 2023 WS #255

Vera Zakem

The analysis highlights the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing tech-facilitated gender-based violence and gendered disinformation. The speakers stress the need for joint efforts and engagement from various stakeholders, including survivors, civil society activists, and members of the private sector. The Biden-Harris administration has announced the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, in association with 11 other nations.

The speakers also emphasize the significance of women, girls, LGBTQ+ communities, and youth in decision-making processes and civic engagement. They argue that investment in these groups is essential for bringing about meaningful change. USAID’s Transform initiative is mentioned as an example of efforts to promote the participation of these groups in civic life.

It is strongly emphasized that governments alone are insufficient in addressing these issues. Collaboration between governments, civil society, and private entities is necessary. The notion of multi-stakeholder solutions is advocated as the way forward, and it is suggested that such solutions should be developed at global, country, and sub-national levels. These solutions should involve governments, civil society actors, and private sector entities. The importance of multilateral cooperation and public-private partnerships is highlighted.

Overall, the analysis highlights the need for inclusiveness and collaboration to combat tech-facilitated gender-based violence and gendered disinformation. It calls for action that involves survivors, civil society, the private sector, and governments. By working together and investing in women, girls, LGBTQ+ communities, and youth, meaningful change can be achieved.

Daniela Cuspoca Orduz

Digital violence against women is a significant problem in Colombia, highlighting the urgent need for a specific regulatory framework to address it. Currently, there is a lack of legislation and guidelines that specifically target and prevent digital violence. This legal gap creates challenges in effectively dealing with these crimes and developing appropriate public policies.

One crucial issue highlighted by the analysis is that women who experience digital violence often face blame and re-victimization. Instead of receiving support and protection, they are often held responsible for the incidents or accused of provoking the violence. This victim-blaming mentality exacerbates the problem and adds to the challenges faced by the victims. Shifting this narrative is essential to ensure that women experiencing digital violence are provided with the necessary support and protection without being blamed or stigmatized.

Furthermore, there is a lack of interest and awareness in investigating digital violence cases. This lack of attention may be due to a limited understanding of the seriousness and impact of these crimes. Raising awareness among law enforcement agencies, policymakers, and the general public about the gravity of digital violence against women and its profound effects on victims is crucial. Increasing awareness can help direct more resources and attention towards investigating and addressing these crimes.

The analysis also emphasizes the need to recognize and prioritize digital violence as an issue requiring immediate attention in policy generation. The current legal gaps present challenges in creating effective public policies that specifically address digital violence against women. The nature of digital violence calls for tailored protective measures and responses that are distinct from those applied in offline contexts. Empowering women online is another crucial factor in combating digital violence and ensuring their safety and well-being in the digital space.

Advocates are urging the development of a dedicated framework against digital violence. Several initiatives related to framework development are currently pending approval in Congress. This demonstrates a growing recognition of the need to address digital violence comprehensively and proactively. Additionally, the Court has acknowledged the issue by recognizing instances of digital violence against women journalists.

In conclusion, digital violence against women is a serious issue in Colombia, necessitating the establishment of a specific regulatory framework and effective public policies. It is imperative to shift the blame from the victims to the perpetrators and increase awareness about the severity of digital violence. Tailored protective measures and responses are required to address the unique challenges posed by digital violence. Empowering women online is crucial in preventing and addressing digital violence. Ongoing initiatives in Congress and the recognition from the Court signal positive progress towards addressing this issue. However, further concerted efforts are needed to create a safer and more inclusive digital environment for women in Colombia.

Umut Pajaro Velasquez

The analysis highlights the challenges faced by women and gender-diverse individuals in the online world, focusing on issues of internet safety. It acknowledges that the internet is not always a secure and inclusive space for these groups, specifically addressing concerns such as cyberbullying, gender-based violence, and the digital divide. These challenges undermine the goals of gender equality and reduced inequalities, thus necessitating discussions and efforts to create a safe and inclusive digital environment.

The session aims to address the intersection of gender and youth online, with the ultimate objective of fostering a safer and more inclusive digital environment. By specifically considering this intersection, the session aims to tackle the unique challenges and concerns experienced by women and gender-diverse individuals in the online sphere. The ultimate goal is to establish an environment where gender equality is prioritised and where the rights and voices of these groups are not compromised.

To achieve this aim, the analysis proposes various strategies encompassing policy, education, and digital literacy. It emphasises the need for policy measures that protect the online rights of women and gender-diverse individuals, ensuring their safety, privacy, and digital well-being. Additionally, it suggests that educational initiatives and efforts to promote digital literacy should be intensified to empower individuals within these groups, enabling them to navigate the online world confidently and securely. By raising awareness and knowledge, it is believed that women and gender-diverse individuals will be better equipped to protect their rights and actively participate in discussions concerning internet governance.

Umut, a supporter of the cause, strongly advocates for a safe and inclusive digital environment for women and gender-diverse individuals. Through endorsing the objectives of the session, Umut actively contributes to the collective endeavor of creating a digital space that respects and acknowledges the rights of all individuals, regardless of their gender. Umut’s support signals a growing recognition of the importance of addressing these challenges and promoting inclusivity in the online world.

In conclusion, the analysis underscores the urgent need to address the challenges faced by women and gender-diverse individuals in the online world. By highlighting issues such as internet safety, cyberbullying, gender-based violence, and the digital divide, the session aims to establish a safe and inclusive digital environment. The proposed strategies, encompassing policy, education, and digital literacy, seek to uphold online rights and include diverse voices in discussions regarding internet governance. Umut’s support further reinforces the significance of these endeavors, underscoring the collective commitment to creating an inclusive digital space for all individuals.

Luisa Franco Machado

The analysis examines various aspects of the digital space and its impact on marginalized groups. One major issue discussed is shadow banning, portrayed as a form of online censorship that disproportionately affects discussions on women’s rights and systemic issues. Shadow banning is defined as a phenomenon that appears to be a technical glitch but is actually a manifestation of deeper systemic problems. The author’s personal experience is highlighted, where her political posts discussing these matters mysteriously vanished from her followers’ TikTok feeds. This serves as evidence of shadow banning’s negative impact on radical discussions.

The discussion then shifts to the oppressive nature of the digital space for youth, women, and gender diverse individuals. While the digital realm offers a platform for advocacy, it also becomes a breeding ground for backlash and harassment. Misogynistic and alt-right groups are specifically mentioned as organized contributors to the unease in the digital space. This evidence underscores the negative sentiment associated with the experiences of these marginalized groups.

Furthermore, the analysis explores the issue of personal data collection and its implications. It asserts that almost every institution collects personal data and digital footprints, which are subsequently used to reinforce oppressive structures and drive profits. This criticism raises concerns about the motivations behind data harvesting and how it often fails to contribute to public welfare or policy shaping.

Another point examined in the analysis is the erasure of marginalized groups resulting from restrictive binary thinking in digital spaces. An example is given of online forms typically offering only binary gender options, thereby neglecting non-binary and other identities. The erasure of diverse identities and the perpetuation of binary thinking is viewed as a negative aspect of the digital realm.

On a positive note, the analysis underscores the importance of celebrating diverse expressions and championing critical thinking in the digital space. These values are believed to contribute to a more inclusive and empowering environment. Additionally, it asserts that government intervention and accountable content moderation are necessary to address the issues discussed. Europe’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) are cited as promising steps in the right direction.

Regarding representation, the analysis argues that feminist, queer, and diverse representation should be non-negotiable in both public institutions and major tech companies. This stance emphasizes the need for diversity in decision-making processes and the creation of inclusive digital spaces.

In conclusion, the analysis presents a comprehensive exploration of the impact of the digital space on marginalized groups. It highlights issues such as shadow banning, online oppression, data privacy concerns, erasure, and the need for diverse representation. The ultimate call is for the digital realm to celebrate diverse expressions, champion critical thinking, and for government and public intervention to ensure accountability and create a safer online environment.

Chilufya Theresa Mulenga,

The analysis highlights several key points made by the speakers. Firstly, it is noted that education and skill development have played a crucial role in fostering increased youth participation in Internet-related fields, particularly among young women. This is supported by the increase in online platforms that promote gender-related initiatives, as well as the implementation of STEM programs aimed at engaging young learners, including girls and gender diverse individuals. These efforts have led to a positive sentiment, as more and more youths are being empowered to pursue careers and opportunities in the digital sphere.

Moving on, the analysis underlines the impact of social media activism in raising awareness about inclusivity and social change. The speakers mention that online communities have provided a safe space for individuals from different backgrounds to connect and support each other. This sentiment is reinforced by the ability to share challenges and innovative solutions across different countries. By utilising social media platforms, activists have been able to amplify their messages and reach a wider audience, further strengthening their efforts towards reducing inequalities. Overall, the sentiment expressed towards social media activism is positive, as it has proven to be an effective tool for driving social change.

Furthermore, the analysis emphasises the significance of policy involvement in supporting youth-led organisations. In particular, it highlights a concrete example from Zambia, where members of parliament have actively invited young people to partake in discussions and initiate tailored development in local communities. Additionally, the creation of the CDF fund in Zambia has provided support for projects initiated by youth-led organisations. This positive sentiment towards policy involvement suggests that engaging young people in decision-making processes and providing them with resources can lead to sustainable development, as indicated by the alignment with SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

Lastly, the analysis points out the role of gender advocacy groups in promoting equality and safety for gender diverse individuals. Noteworthy evidence includes the presence of online petitions and campaigns led by young people, addressing issues related to gender, youth, and women. These efforts contribute to the pursuit of SDG 5: Gender Equality and generate a positive sentiment towards the advocacy for gender diversity.

In conclusion, the analysis highlights the positive impact of education, social media activism, policy involvement, and gender advocacy groups in empowering youth and promoting key social and gender-related goals. These findings underscore the importance of providing opportunities, resources, and support to young people, as they play a crucial role in shaping a more inclusive and equitable society.

Ayden Férdeline

The analysis provides a comprehensive overview of various arguments and perspectives on several topics. One argument focuses on the issue of inadequate representation of women, youth, and LGBT+ individuals in internet governance and coordination bodies. This is supported by researched participation data spanning the past 20 years. It is argued that these marginalised groups are not given enough influence in decision-making processes, resulting in a lack of diverse perspectives and potential biases in internet governance.

Another critique discussed in the analysis pertains to civil society’s approach to making change. It is pointed out that there is a lack of a clear theory of change, which may hinder effective strategies for addressing key societal issues. Furthermore, civil society seems to struggle with managing trade-offs that may arise in the pursuit of their goals. The sentiment towards this critique is negative, indicating dissatisfaction with the current approaches employed by civil society to bring about meaningful change.

On a more positive note, the analysis highlights the need for advocacy from a position of power instead of victimhood to achieve sustainable results. It is argued that advocacy efforts should not solely rely on portraying oneself as a victim, but rather focus on empowerment and leveraging existing positions of influence to drive real change. This argument is supported by the observation that exclusion is often intentional and that setting goals, prioritising, and fighting one battle at a time would yield more effective advocacy outcomes.

The analysis also includes a stance that supports focus and goal-setting in advocacy, despite the inherent difficulty in doing so due to the presence of multiple pressing issues. It is acknowledged that advocacy efforts tend to be scattered amidst numerous important causes, making it challenging to channel resources and efforts towards achieving specific goals. Nonetheless, the importance of setting clear objectives and concentrating efforts is emphasised, as it enables more targeted and impactful advocacy work.

In conclusion, the analysis presents a range of viewpoints on different topics. It highlights the need for greater representation of marginalised groups in internet governance, the necessity for a well-defined theory of change in civil society’s approach, the importance of advocacy from a position of power, and the benefits of focus and goal-setting in advocacy work. By considering and addressing these perspectives, it becomes possible to enhance the effectiveness and inclusivity of various societal initiatives.

Hollie Hamblett

The analysis reveals that women face significant inequalities as consumers, despite representing 51% of the global population and making the majority of global purchasing decisions. Shockingly, their needs are often disregarded in policy, product design, and service provision. This inequality is evident in the form of the “pink tax”, financial barriers, and sexism in advertising.

The “pink tax” refers to the practice of charging higher prices for products and services marketed to women compared to similar products marketed to men. This discriminatory pricing perpetuates gender-based inequalities by forcing women to pay more for essential items such as personal care products and clothing. Additionally, financial barriers prevent women from accessing financial services and resources, limiting their economic empowerment. Sexism in advertising further exacerbates inequalities, as it perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes and objectifies women, often influencing their choices as consumers.

One of the key arguments put forward is that consumer protection frameworks lack gender equality. Despite the significant purchasing power and influence that women have, these frameworks fail to adequately address their specific needs and concerns. The analysis highlights the urgent need for consumer protection policies and regulations to incorporate a gender lens, ensuring that women’s rights and interests are protected and promoted.

To address this issue, it is suggested that gender-disaggregated data be collected and used in policy, product design, and service provision. Such data can reveal the truth about women’s experiences in the marketplace, aiding in the identification and elimination of sexist biases. Without reliable data, gender biases may persist, and misguided policies may unintentionally cause harm to women. Therefore, prioritising the collection and analysis of gender-disaggregated data is essential for promoting gender equality in consumer protection.

Furthermore, the analysis emphasises the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach. It is suggested that designers, developers, researchers, and marketing authorities work together to create gender-equal products and policies in digital spaces. This collaborative effort can help address biases and discriminatory practices present in the design and development of digital products. Additionally, raising public awareness about consumer rights can empower women to assert their economic interests and demand gender-equal treatment in the marketplace.

In conclusion, women continue to face inequalities as consumers, with their needs often overlooked in policy, product design, and service provision. The “pink tax”, financial barriers, and sexism in advertising are examples of the challenges they encounter. The analysis underscores the need for consumer protection frameworks to embrace gender equality, highlighting the importance of gender-disaggregated data and a multi-stakeholder approach. By prioritising women’s experiences and empowering them in their consumer choices, a more gender-equal marketplace can be achieved.

Agita Pasaribu

Since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Indonesia has witnessed a staggering 300% surge in online abuse cases. One prevalent concern is non-consensual intimate image abuse, which predominantly affects young females. This increase in online abuse has become a significant issue in the country during the pandemic.

Despite the passing of a law on sexual violence crimes, prosecuting online abuse perpetrators across different jurisdictions remains a considerable challenge. Cross-border jurisdiction issues complicate and hamper the process of holding these perpetrators accountable for their actions.

To effectively tackle online harassment, it is crucial to strengthen global partnerships and involve all stakeholders in policy development. By engaging tech companies, particularly online platforms, in policy-making processes, it becomes possible to comprehensively address and prevent online harassment. Incorporating both global and local perspectives is essential to ensuring that policies are effective and inclusive.

Ethical AI practices can play a vital role in protecting individuals online. Deepfake pornography using AI has become a pressing issue, violating the rights and mental well-being of women and gender diverse individuals. Policies should actively protect digital citizens and ensure that technology serves as a force for progress rather than harm.

Preventing online harassment requires the collective efforts of various stakeholders. Governments, tech companies, schools, parents, and civil society all have unique roles to play. Stakeholders need to advocate for safety measures, embed digital literacy in education systems, support victims of online harassment, and promote ethical digital citizenship.

In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in online abuse cases, with non-consensual intimate image abuse being a prevalent concern in Indonesia. The prosecution of online abuse perpetrators is hindered by cross-border jurisdiction issues. Strengthening global partnerships, involving tech companies in policy development, advocating for ethical AI practices, and engaging all stakeholders are essential in effectively combating online harassment.

Umut Pajaro Velasquez:
Hello, we can hear you Ahmad. Okay, I was scared that you can’t hear me for a moment. Yeah. Well, thank you very much to all the people there. We’re going to start the session. This is a roundtable session that is called a digital me being you, woman, and or gender diverse people online. In this session, we wanted to highlight that the internet plays a vital role in our lives, but it’s not always safe or an inclusive space, especially for two women and gender diverse people. In this session, we’re going in the discussion in the roundtable that we’re going to have, we’re going to try to address the intersection of gender and you online, aiming to create a safe and inclusive digital environment. We will try also to highlight the challenges we face, like cyberbullying, gender based violence, and digital device with the different panelists, we share their expertise from the different backgrounds they are coming from. Also, at the end, we will like to discuss on strategies to encompass policy, education and digital literacy. to hold online rides for these groups and involve diverse voices in internet governance discussions. The session aims to offer recommendations for multi-stakeholder to take some practical steps in addressing these internet challenges and fostering inclusivity and safety. The structure of the session will consist in a short introduction that I’m doing right now. And so then we going to pass to the part of the speaker when they going to have five minutes to present their perspective or their vision to share any knowledge related to the topic and the policy question that were shared before with them. And then we’re going to have a second part of the session that we’re going to allow the public to also share their visions and make some question if they want to. And finally, we’re going to have a final remarks or a conclusion if we can have a conclusion in this session. So we going to start this round on interventions. We Agita Pasarigu, she is from Indonesia and she is a test developing and designing on a bully idea that was launching in 2020. I wish she will be sharing some insights about online gender violence in the context of the country and also in the Asia Pacific region. So the floor is yours, Agita.

Agita Pasaribu:
Thank you, Umut. Hi, everyone. I am Agita, and I’m currently the founder and executive director of Bullied Up. At Bullied Up, we are focusing on addressing online harassment in Indonesia by providing psychological legal support and anonymous reporting platform through our web-based application. On the issues regarding on the policies that can be developed to address the challenge faced by youth, women, and gender diverse people in digital space, I think I would like to touch on and provide a little bit of a background of what happened in Indonesia. So since the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Indonesia has witnessed a staggering 300% surge in online abuse cases, and this leaving victims without access to essential legal and mental health support. And from our statistic, non-consensual intimate image abuse, or NCNI, has been a prevalent concern, and its majority impacting young females. This issue also becomes very intricate due to its cross-border nature, and often law enforcement feels powerless due to jurisdictional constraint. And even with the recent passing of the law on sexual violence crimes in the country, which recognized NCNI, the persecution of perpetrators across different jurisdictions remains a significant challenge. So considering these, we did policies that facilitate international cooperation to forge global cooperation amongst law enforcement to address cross-border jurisdiction issues, emphasizing what our governments can do. I believe it’s pivotal to strengthen global partnership to tackle online harassment. Engage tech companies, especially actively involving them, the online platforms, in policy development. We need social media, online dating, online gaming platforms. to focus on both enabling reporting mechanism and also addressing past report needs, making sure that perpetrators are refrained and victims are supported. It also important to incorporating both in global local views, especially in the policy, knowing that the emerging issues like deepfake pornography using artificial intelligence, it affecting women and gender diverse individuals online, violating their rights and their mental wellbeing. So therefore our policies must not only respond after, but must actively protect our digital citizens. Ethical AI practices and rules need to ensure that technology becomes a helper, not an enemy in our fight against online harassment. Also policy should be our shield and made with the complexities of technological advancement and the ethical consideration of its application in mind. And I believe that policies should safeguard every digital citizen, ensuring that technology serve as a beacon of progress, not a tool for perpetrating harm and fear. Coming to the aspect in terms of multi-stakeholder challenges and what we can do, I believe the responsibility of multi-stakeholders is a paramount in constructing a safe online environment. Government, social media, tech companies, schools, parents, civil society, each of us hold a unique and significant role in the prevention of online harassment. Government needs to advocate and enforce policies that foster a secure digital environment across legal enforcement. Social media and tech companies have to incorporate safety by design principles, focusing not on the enabling report mechanism. but also effectively addressing false report issues, preventing further perpetrations and partnering with NGOs to further support victims with psychological or the support they need. Schools, parents should embed digital literacy and ethical online behavior within educational structures. And civil society organization, we must continue to advocate for digital safety and support victims, driving policy development and ensuring accountability. And lastly, as netizens and young people, I believe we need to promote ethical digital citizenship, promote an upstander culture and be committed to create a digital environment that is respectful, inclusive, safe, and empowering for all regardless of age and gender. So I’ll stop there.

Umut Pajaro Velasquez:
Thank you. Thank you to you for that valuable insights about the situation in Indonesia and how this kind of risk that we have in face if intercross with mental health and policymaking and another stuff that are actually really important to protect online. And now we’re going with Holly Hamblett. She is a policy specialist at Consumer International. She leads the digital consumer rights work including trust in digital marketplace, virtual economies, and data rights. Holly previously managed CIS Global Consumer Protection and Empowerment Index, measuring the consumer landscape of 80 countries worldwide. Holly, the floor is yours.

Hollie Hamblett:
Thank you. So I’ll be talking about gender in relation to consumer protection and how consumer protection frameworks are not gender equal. So women represent 51% of the population which means that is also half of. consumers worldwide as well. And they have the majority of the purchasing decisions, they have the potential to drive the marketplace and with their purchasing power, about 65 to 85% of global purchasing decisions are made by women globally. And yet whilst they have this potential to influence the marketplace with these decisions, their specific needs and experiences as consumers are still not considered in the design of policy, products and services. And we see this from sexist advertising to online scams, male default products and services, barriers to financial accessibility, gender-based pricing discrepancies, toxic and harmful products. The marketplace is not a level playing field for women. So when we look at the experiences of women in the marketplace in relation to consumer protection principles, and this is based on the UN guidelines for consumer protection, we can see that women’s rights as consumers are not being upheld and that these consumer protection frameworks are not gender equal. So let’s give some examples of women’s experiences in the digital space. We have a lack of access to essential services. In Rwanda, 84% of women have access to mobile phones, but of those 84%, only 55% have access to mobile money. Women’s economic interests are not protected in the same way as men. The pink tax, as we all know, is a gender-specific form of offering products, which is translated from traditional markets into the online space as well. So in e-commerce platforms, we see the same pink tax occurring there. In the US, we have personal care products for women costing 13% more money for women than men. Products are. designed by default for men to contribute to an equal health outcomes as well. So we’ve seen this with VR headsets. They don’t account for the eye width of women, and so women are experiencing cyber sickness as a result of this. We have product design, again, just ignoring women’s needs with the mobile phones being the size for men’s hands instead of women’s hands. It’s more difficult to hold, to type. We have existing data contributing to gender discrimination. So any data that is used for AI algorithms are based on the reflections of society that we have at the minute, and that includes gender biases and discriminations. One common example is AI used for lending. There we have women are more disproportionately likely to be rejected for loans, especially black women as well. We have poor design allowing women to be sexually harassed online in spaces, VR, AR, with the metaverse. This is a design fault. There is no form of consent. There’s no consequence of what will happen to women, and this is then further compounded with difficulties in redress. Women are a lot less likely to seek redress when their consumer needs have been infringed or disregarded. A lot of the times they won’t seek redress unless they have the backing of a man in their household in a lot of countries. So we have all these harms that are absolutely gender issues, but they’re compounded by consumer interests, and this is a framework that is meant to protect consumers worldwide, but we can see that the framework itself is not being respected for women, and so the framework is designed, again, for men, with men in mind. But thinking about how we can address these policies and develop them so that… these challenges are mitigated at least. Gender equality in terms of access, inclusion, skills, and leadership can only be understood and addressed through internationally comparable gender disaggregated data. So there is an urgent need for this data in policy, product, and services design. Without this, policies can be misguided, gender biases can remain and be reinforced, and harm can occur. So even if we have gender intentionality in the design of these policies, products, and services, without this data, we have no evidence and real understanding of how women are experiencing these things in the marketplace and how they have such an impact on them. To be able to develop further and make sure that we have gender equality in digital spaces, in analog spaces, just generally as consumers in the marketplace. And so thinking of practical steps to move forward as well, to work together in a multi-stakeholder approach. We can, of course, apply a gender lens to any work that we have and ensure that women are in designer development roles. But this doesn’t offer a global change that we need. To be able to get the data that we’re looking for, this gender disaggregated data, we need to conduct more research. This includes product testing, product comparisons, looking into research for policy, testing out redress mechanisms, and seeing if women can go all the way through with them, whether they’re stopped through the time constraints, the cost of this as well. And having this data, just knowing how women are experiencing this is gonna help a little bit more than just having women in the spaces. So that we can, this is so that it’s. reflective of women everywhere, and not just personal experiences shared in individual rooms. And this is something that consumer organizations can help with, especially. National consumer organizations do product testing. They do product comparisons. And a lot of them will share this on their websites. So this can be, we can plug consumer organizations into different spaces. But with that, we need bridges for organizations working in silos, and making sure that we do have this multi-stakeholder approach. And this isn’t just your traditional policy, business, consumer organization. We also need to link in marketing agencies or marketing authorities to make sure that messaging around products and services is also not gender biased. We can create public awareness campaigns to make sure that women are aware of their consumer rights. And enforce them, and they can try and live a more fair life in the marketplace if they’re a little bit more aware of the consumer rights that they have. And then finally, just creating a little bit more visibility of the issues that there are, and making sure that there’s space for this influence of consumer issues. Because consumer protection can be a means to an end of trying to get to gender equality, particularly with the links to economic interests that are in the UNGCP. This might be an easier way to gather interest and gain a little bit more influence. Thank you.

Umut Pajaro Velasquez:
Thank you, Holly, for the intervention. It was really insightful. Because you put into cross how some details, how some economic rights can also affect another human rights. And then so how gender data is needed to actually improve the system in general. Not only in the consumer aspect, but in all the system in general. So thank you very much for that. Now we’re going with Chilufya Theresa Mulenga, she’s from Zambia. She’s a certified gender equality chain maker who founded the ICD4Head club. She has over six years experience in the STEAM ICD sector, where she has advanced in her development in innovation in local communities, and as I say, she’s involved in the Internet Society Zambia chapter. Lucia, the floor is yours.

Chilufya Theresa Mulenga,:
Thank you so much, Umed. I hope I’m audible enough. Am I audible enough? Yes, we can hear you. All right, thank you so much. I’ll be touching a little bit on how youth and gender diverse youth groups are present currently on Internet-related initiatives. So we have seen a prominent number of growth increasing in the youth and gender diversity groups and increasing and actively participating in Internet-related initiatives across various fields. And it’s initially because of a lot of education and skill development that has been advocated for youths and young women in various industries. So we have prominent youths and young women, young girls, young men actively participating in Internet-related fields because of the online platforms that are advocating. for gender-related courses and gender-related initiatives. So mostly these online platforms offer opportunities and also a chance for most of our youth and also various diverse groups to gain tech-related skills. And also there’s been some prominent growth in STEM programs that are promoting a lot of science technology and a lot of engineering in all diverse groups and which mostly aims to engage young learners including girls and gender diverse individuals in these groups. There has been over the years an increase in a lot of social media activism that has helped most of the inclusive individuals and groups to use, like I said, learning platforms and social media platforms to raise awareness about various issues that promote inclusivity and also mainly just advocate for social change nationwide and also global wide. And also these social media activism has promoted a lot of online groups that encourages a lot of online communities to provide a safe space for individuals and diverse group members from different backgrounds and different tech-related industries to connect and share experiences and just support each other. Also prominently, there’s been a lot of events locally, nationally, and just globally like the IGF that help to promote a lot of diversity and inclusive initiatives. Most of the events actually help to focus more on… inclusion and encouraging participation from a lot of youths and a lot of groups, marginalized groups, I would say, and individuals to give them a platform where they can be able to share various ideas and also engage with diversity, people from different backgrounds, from different countries, share their challenges, and also some innovative solutions that can help increase their advocacy and also their work to amplify our voices in interrelated issues. We do have a lot of open source and tech communities also to contribute that help engage a lot of youths and young women and allows them to contribute to any tech-related solutions that may help them develop some of their local communities and some of the initiatives go as far as collaborating with developers to develop a software application or even technology innovations that can help them just engage with their local communities and find some of the solutions that can help grow their local communities and also it helps them have a voice so that they can be able to talk to their local government and people that are making policies in their country. So, with that, there has been a lot of youth-led organizations that advocate for internet policies that promote accessibility and digital rights and online safety and this has helped a lot of people participate in discussions and also campaigns that help to shape the related policies. I’ll give an example for Zambia. We do have members of parliaments that invite us to sit down and discuss with them and we’re able to voice out our challenges and also provide solutions that may help to, that may help to increase youth participation and also provide tailored development in our local communities that mostly bend on youth. They have been initiatives like the CDF, that’s the youth fund that helps fund youth-led organizations to come up with projects and initiatives that mostly help develop their local communities. It can be a small business, it can be a small learning platform, but all these initiatives have been, they have increased participation in all gender diverse groups, more especially in marginalized groups. And also just as a way of introducing the digital environment to certain communities that don’t have the internet or don’t have access to actually participate on these online platforms. So the CDF has grown largely in the country and it has helped a lot of youth engage to certain groups of people who are learning and some who are not learning it to just kind of actually voice out what they need. These also, they have helped provide tailored solutions because it’s not everywhere where they have access to water, it’s not everywhere where they have access to good health facilities. So the CDF fund has enabled a lot of youth-led organizations to provide tailored solutions to these communities. by empowering the communities to learn what they can do instead of just waiting for the government to offer them money or to come and offer them a solution to the problems that they are currently facing. There’s been also some gender advocacy groups that have been created that helps to promote a lot of gender diversity by actually engaging in policy discussions and advocating for inclusivity, equal opportunities, and also safety for gender individuals online and as well as offline. So a lot of online activism has led to some online petitions and also youth-led campaigns that allow the gender diverse active groups to use any online platforms to launch petitions and awareness campaigns addressing a lot of prominent issues that still affect us even in the 21st century in relations to gender, youth, and also women at a large scale. And mostly of these issues have been addressed due to technology and it has helped a lot of youth engage themselves in various topics that affect them in their society like justice, climate change, and also gender equality and so on and so on. So just in summary, the youth and gender diverse individuals are very much prominent participants and they have leveraged a lot of online platforms to learn, create, and innovate and as well as advocate for local change and also become policy changemakers in their communities and also nationwide. And this contribution has played a very crucial role in shaping the digital landscape and also promoting inclusivity and diversity in the community. online world. Thank you so much. Thank you to you, Lucia, and for reminding us that the combination

Umut Pajaro Velasquez:
of advocacy with some grassroots work and technical, in general, multi-stakeholderism can be a benefit for getting more digital rights for Jewish women and gender diverse people. Now we are moving to our fourth speaker. She is Luisa Franco Machado. Luisa, the floor is yours.

Luisa Franco Machado:
Thank you so much, Umut. Well, good evening, Kyoto. Morning, Berlin. And hello to everyone in between. I’m Luisa Franco Machado. I’m a Brazilian feminist social scientist. Last year, the UN appointed me as a young leader for the Sustainable Development Goals for my work in digital rights and data justice. And currently, I advise GIZ, the German Development Corporation Agency, on the use of ICTs for development. However, today’s thoughts are purely mine, not affiliated with any of these organizations. That’s an important disclaimer. But now let’s dive right in. And I would like to actually begin with the shadows. So the silent, unseen, censorship that many of us face online. So have any of you ever heard of shadow banning? For those who haven’t, this is a sneaky form of online censorship. You post something and suddenly it’s like shouting into a void, you know, especially if you’re discussing something as radical as women’s rights or systemic issues, you know, or even if you have a perceived female body and show a little bit of skin, unless you’re a big influencer, TikTok will take you deep into this uncharted caves of the internet. My post on TikTok, for example, when I try to talk about something slightly more political, they really vanish from my followers’ feed. And sometimes shadowbanning might seem like a tech glitch, but actually it’s often a manifestation of deeper systemic issues, right? But the challenge is they don’t stop there. The digital space can really be a minefield, especially for youth, women, and gender diverse people. So while it offers a platform for advocacy and change, as we’ve heard in previous speeches, the backlash, especially from misogynistic and alt-right groups is real and it’s intense and they are super organized and it sucks. But it’s not just about facing threats though. Sometimes oppression is much more subtle. Our personal data and our digital footprints, they are really constantly harvested by nearly every single institution out there, not just the tech giants. But does this data really contribute to public welfare, to understanding the needs of, let’s say, gender diverse people or shaping policies? No, countries know close to nothing about their LGBTQIA plus population. Instead, the data collected is used to reinforce oppressive structures and drive profits, all the stuff we already know, right? Then of course, there’s erasure. How many times have we encountered online forums asking gender, male or female? They’re not just forms, right? They’re a symbol of the binary restrictive thinking that should have no place in our diverse world. The occasional other option, it’s a slap in the face, right? A gross oversimplification of our complex identities. Okay, so now what’s the way forward? First, let’s take a step back, because I know most of us have the attention span of a goldfish, so if you spaced out, now it’s time to come back. I mentioned at least five issues in the past three minutes. Shadow banning, fear of persecution, organized hate, data exploitation, and erasure of marginalized groups. That being said, our call to action is clear. First, we need and we demand a digital realm that celebrates diverse expression. And that’s not, you know, just kind of like a buzzword. We really need and want spaces that champion feminist discourse and critical thinking and not suppress them. Of course, this doesn’t mean allowing harmful content, but rather distinguishing between genuine critique and hate speech. Second, we need smarter content moderation. Governments must invest in and reinforce rigorous content moderation to protect marginalized voices and dismantle hate-driven narratives. I know this almost sounds like too much to ask, but it’s really not. But we don’t just need to hope for that to happen, right? Which takes me to my third recommendation. Responsible public intervention in the online space is not a choice anymore. Creating digital spaces or the data that is at the backbone of these spaces is just necessary. You know, look at Europe’s DSA and DMA. They are steps in the right direction, but they are just starting points, right? We need global yet localized efforts. So we really need to ensure that data collection of non-sensitive data, right, serves for what actually matters, understanding our community’s needs and shaping policies tackling them. Last but not least, representation is non-negotiable. To every public institution or tech giant out there, If your team doesn’t have queer, feminist, and diverse voices, you’re doing it wrong. Stop sidelining us into the other box and start recognizing our worth. Institutions they must not just include, but rather prioritize marginalized voices on decision-making. To wrap up, let’s dream of an internet where every voice matters. But let’s not just dream, let’s act. So find me online, all my contacts are here, but if you can’t see it, just search for Luisa Franco Machado online. It’s a huge step that we’re making space for these conversations. So thank you so much for Umut and everyone organizing this session. So let’s keep this conversation going and let’s foster a digital world that truly includes and celebrates all of us. Cheers to that. Thank you so much for that, Luisa, you touched a topic that is close to my, to everything that I do. So yeah.

Umut Pajaro Velasquez:
Thank you. Thank you so much for it. Well, right now we’re moving another online speaker. She is Daniela Cuspoca from Colombia. She is, wait a minute, she’s a lawyer with a study in economics and public policy. She worked several years in the sixth commission of the Colombian Congress in charge of technology and policies and regulation. Additionally is part of the ISO Foundation as a volunteer and she leads a project, focuses on the gender digital divide through digital literacy programs. So Daniela, the floor is yours.

Daniela Cuspoca Orduz:
Thanks so much. Thanks to everyone. So today I’ll be talking about the Colombian case, especially I will talk about the digital gender balance in the. country. The challenge that Colombia has by developing a policy that faces the phenomenon, since violence is the main human rights violation against women in the country, has become a problem of justice. So technically digital violence is any painful action carried out with the support of information and communication technologies in terms of distribution, exhibition, commercialization of images, videos, intimate sexual content, without the concept of the person, which definitely causes psychological and emotional damage to the victim. In Colombia, we have a generic law devoted to prevent violence against women. However, we don’t have any specific regulatory framework. We don’t have a name that can maybe emphasize with legal enforcement about digital violence in the country. And since we don’t have a name for that, we don’t have data, and it still is not clear how the way that government can act when this type of violence happens. So digital violence against women takes many shapes. It could be doxy, it could be non-conceptual dissemination of intimate images, and so on. Now Colombian authorities lack the necessary awareness to respond, and sometimes women victims tend to be re-victimized or even blamed for what happened. There is also a lack of interest to investigate this type of crimes. And at the end of the day, this legal gap makes it difficult to have reliable and comprehensive data to create better public policies. And at the same time, digital violence needs a particular response from the state, from the government, from the actors, and the protective measures we need to, in this type of cases, certainly are different. In the case of dissemination of intimate images, for example. We need to have, we need to take into account the impact that has this phenomenon for the victim to put the victim at the centre, give them psychological attention, for example. In September 2022, the Colombian Constitutional Court studied the first case of women whose intimate photos were disclosed without concept by another woman on Facebook. This woman showed the photos to her colleagues, and it was clear that releasing the images was intended to humiliate her using the traditional idea of how a woman should behave. And the purpose, obviously, was to damage her reputation in the workplace. However, in this case, the Constitutional Court only focused on the protection of sensitive data. However, this year, fortunately, the Constitutional Court ruled in relation to online attacks that certain women journalists have received with sexualized and misogynistic content. The court in this time is different, and forces multiple state actors to act against this violence. So, it asks all political departments and movements to create a code of ethics with guidelines to punish acts of violence, or incitement to violence online, implement an acts rule for women victims of any type of violence. So, as a consequence of this rule of the Constitutional Court, several initiatives have been presented in relation to the development of framework inside the Congress, but it is still pending of approval. Without adult, the state needs to recognize the digital phenomenon as a priority aspect to generate policies to support victims, but also to empower women online. Women need to know that they have a healthy and safe space to also defend their rights. And I appreciate the invitation to participate today, and I give the floor again to Umut, so that I can give our way to our next panelist, it was a pleasure to share the Colombian experience to all.

Umut Pajaro Velasquez:
Thank you so much, Daniela. We vote on the Colombia right now, we are live for in the morning, so thank you for the time. So I’m sharing this video in the case of Colombia. Now we moving to one of the speaker on site, he is Ayden Férdeline, I’m hoping that’s your last name, right? He is a public interest technologist, and Landecker Democracy Fellow, we human in collaboration with Alfred Landecker Foundation, so the floor is yours, Aiden.

Ayden Férdeline:
Thank you so much, Umut, I’m really pleased to be here. And the reason why I am on the stage today is because I wrote a report last year that was published by the National Democratic Institute that was exploring who is involved in making decisions within internet governance and internet coordination bodies. And we looked at the participation data over the past 20 years, and it was pretty clear that there was inadequate representation from women, from youth, from LGBT plus people. There were also other demographics that were missing too, and there were demographics that were given more influence than others, law enforcement, intellectual property interests, for example, and so of course… intersectionality plays into this. So what I wanted to really talk about was to build off of Louise’s call to action at the end of her talk about let’s act. What can we do about this? Part of the research that I did last year was speaking with leaders within internet governance institutions to understand how they perceive different stakeholders. How do they assess contributions that they receive? How do they act on the evidence that is presented before them? Something that I heard quite frequently was around that, aside from the fact that there are disputes over what adequate representation looks like, it’s also really hard to explain what adequate representation constitutes and is representation what we really want? Is it being on panels like this where with full respect to everyone in the room, we don’t actually have many decision makers in this room? We don’t have the IGF leadership panel. We have a few empty seats. What does it actually mean to have representation? Do we want outcomes instead? What would be outcomes that we’re happy with? And I would argue that effectiveness starts with how you conceptualize your work. And when I was interviewing different stakeholders last year for this project, something that came across very clearly to me when I spoke with civil society representatives who have very strong mission-driven goals that they’re working towards that are very important is the lack of a theory of change. There is this idea that the problems are so huge that we must solve them because they’re so urgent and pressing, and that is definitely true. But I do think civil society in general is not very good at being able to manage trade-offs, is not very good at being able to. to assess what is enough and what is not enough. And so to have a loud voice and to be able to give a good speech when you don’t have a problem statement, it doesn’t get you very far. When you can’t or you’re not doing the stakeholder analysis, when you’re not doing a power analysis, when you understand your own context but you don’t necessarily understand the context that others are working within, I fear that it can undermine what we’re all working towards. And so I think that for traditionally excluded stakeholders who are, I would argue, by design being excluded from some of these institutions, you have to be able to tell your story from a place of power. You have to be able to be an example of not how horrible and unfair the world is because you are, of course, a victim. You are intentionally being excluded. But you do have to also have agency. And it’s very difficult to develop agency when you are perceived by other stakeholders as victims of something. And you may be a victim. Again, you probably are. But if your advocacy comes from a place of victimhood, you just don’t get sustainable results, or at least what I saw is you don’t get sustainable results. You need to know how to set goals, how to prioritize, how to fight one battle at a time. And this is really difficult, particularly for advocates who are volunteering their time to focus on issues, who care about multiple things. It is so easy to be pulled this way, the other way. To be able to just really condense what you’re focusing on to one or two issues and to follow them through, it’s really difficult, but I think it’s something that’s really important for us to try to focus on. We are running out of time, so I’ll leave my remarks there. But very happy to expand on any suggestions, if you like. Thank you both.

Umut Pajaro Velasquez:
Thank you very much, Aiden. And thank you for sharing the call to action that is actually needed for all of us. in this kind of processes. Now to finally finalize this panel speaker, we have Vera Zakem. She serves as USA Chief Digital Democracy and Rights Officers. She’s situated in the Center of Democracy, Human Rights and Governance and she leads the agency’s agenda on digital democracy to ensure technologies advances democratic values and respect for human rights globally. Vera, the floor is yours and thank you so much for actually being there at the hour because I was so worried about it. I don’t know, it’s just me, but I cannot hear you. How about now?

Vera Zakem:
Okay, perfect. So yeah, thank you so much for hosting this. I’m delighted to be here. Actually, literally just got off the flight from the United States, so I’m glad I was able to make this. And then also, I represent the voice of government, but also the voice of the United States government. And I have some colleagues in the room as well that I would be remiss not to acknowledge, including my very dear friend and colleague, Cailin Crockett, who represents the White House, who may and others may have a few things to say on this topic. So what I wanted to do is bring not just the US government, but the government perspective to this topic. First thing is first, for multi-stakeholderism, we know in the digital realm, multi-stakeholderism is everything. And it’s from both in the global, in the normative settings and also in convenience like this, but also at the local level in a lot of the countries where a lot of the countries are operating in. And multi-stakeholderism. does require governments, civil society, and yes, private sector, like really private sector at the table, and not just the big tech but emerging tech. So on the government side, the United States has been doing quite a bit along with a number of other countries, 11 countries to be exact. The Biden-Harris administration announced recently, not too long ago, the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, and it really is in concert with 11 other nations. It really also has a multi-stakeholder advisory group composed of survivors, civil society, activists, private sector, and others. And the reason is because we in the United States are extremely committed to investing in preventing tech-facilitated gender-based violence and also related gendered disinformation and all of the ills that are happening to women, girls, gender diverse LGBTQ plus people. And so I do want to tell you a little bit about a couple of goals of the partnership, and again I’d be delighted for Caitlin and others to highlight as well, but I do want to kind of highlight a few goals and what the U.S. Agency for National Development, which is the United States foreign assistance arm, is doing. And some of it, quite frankly, I’ve actually been able to see it myself through a lot of the work in a lot of the places I’ve been to already in my current role. So the first is, there’s three big goals that I want to just cover real quickly. One is to close the gender divide, the gender digital divide, by promoting online safety, accountability, and meaningful connectivity. That’s foremost. We see so fundamentally access and connectivity are everything. I can tell you from the USAID, we have been investing in the space quite significantly. in a number of countries, one with the Reliance Foundations, we announced actually seven winners of Women Connect Challenge in India as one example, but we’re doing this in different parts of the world in a number of countries that we operate in. The second is really promoting meaningful participation, and meaningful participation for women and girls and LGBTQ plus in gender diverse populations. Did I lose you guys? Okay, good. By countering tech-facilitated gender-based violence and gender disinformation. I cannot begin to tell you how important this piece is. When women are at the table, that’s when meaningful change happens. We have seen it again and again. There’s data, there’s research on this, and this involves not only making sure that we are investing in women and girls and LGBTQ plus communities to ensure in all sectors of our society, including in political life and civil society, but also, I think you mentioned also in the tech sector as well, how critical this is. And here’s why, and I can even speak a little bit on the tech sector, having come from the tech sector into the role that I’m currently in. Because when women and girls, when women are at the table, this is when we’re talking about to ensure that human rights assessments are part of the product features. It is also making sure that we are in the room when meaningful decisions and change happen in all facets of society. But also most especially in the technology sector where a lot of the, if you will, decisions are being made. And by the way, when I talk about tech, I’m not just talking about the big tech, but I’m also talking about emerging technologies as well. Because again, having that cultural knowledge, having that. gender, if you will, or LGBTQ plus knowledge, and the contextual knowledge on how these products need to be designed is just so important. One of the things I can tell you at USCID, one of the things we announced at the last summit for democracy is the transform initiative where we’re actually trying to bring and really increase that participation in the civic life for women and girls, and we’re actually doing a number of pilots in the coming year, most especially in Guatemala, Georgia, and Kenya. But I actually, I will tell you on this one, I actually was able to see this myself. In May of this year, I was in the Middle East and North Africa, and this is where I saw, first and foremost, where women have been especially victims of tech-facilitated gender-based violence as well as gender disinformation, online hate and harassment online, so much so that they could not actually go back to where they were from. They were completely shunned, and also when we talk about shadow banning, that’s also shadow banning. But in that, I also saw glimmers of hope, and glimmers of hope were, for example, when I was in Jordan, I met a number of technologists who are developing digital apps and products that ensure that women are safe online. One of them is called Amanha, and it’s actually really just truly designed to promote digital security and digital safety for women. So it’s just, again, giving you one example. And the last but not least, I think this goes without saying, but I just think this is so important. We need to make sure that youth are at the table. Youth are the next generation, and as we’re here sitting, talking in person. person and in virtually around these issues. We need to make sure that youth, the investment in youth on these issues is paramount and it’s really critical. It is critical in all, again, facets of society, whether we’re talking about to ensure that they are, we inspire them to take positions in the public life and civil society, in the private sector, other forms of private sector as well as technology sectors and of course we’re making investments as well. But again, the last thing I’ll say, and I know we’re short on time and Kayla, I don’t know if you wanna add anything to this, is this, no government can do this alone. Even though I’m here representing the government perspective here in the U.S. government, no government can do this alone, no civil society actor can do this alone or private sector entity. That is why it is so critical and I firmly believe in the multi-stakeholder, not just convenings, but ensuring that we have multi-stakeholder solutions to this problem. That I actually think is the beauty of the global partnership, why I think it’s really great. But also, again, it’s part of the solutions building, which is so important that we take these big ideas, everything that’s happening at the global level, all of these amazing convenings that we’re having this week and so many other for us and translate them to action at the local level because multi-stakeholderism needs to be built at the country level and as well at the sub-national level. And then when you marry the two, from global to local, then I think we’re gonna, we can, not gonna start, but can continue to start making and seeing meaningful progress. I’ll stop there.

Umut Pajaro Velasquez:
Well, as we are running out of time, this is where we don’t want to have time to actually hear from the people on the floor about the topic. So I will really thank you to all of you for reminding us first like the importance of having grassroots movement working in different aspects of digital rights, how economic rights are related with other human rights and how this is important to get data on gender data to improve the quality of life, not only women but also gender diverse people, how multistakeholderism is essential in all the processes that we want to address and all the changes that we want to, also how the own agency or individuals that are women, gender diverse people or are part of the homogenised or underrepresented population is important in this factor, and finally how policies are necessary also in all these processes and how representation should be meaningful and we have always called to actions in order to get the changes that we need, and having always as I said before the multistakeholder approach. Thank you very much for your interventions and for your time and yes if you want to reach any of the panelists you can find the information on most of them in the session page, and also you can reach me as Umu Pajaro, I will share some information about them if you authorise me, and also you can follow the gender standing group and I will… share with you anything that you wanted to know. Thank you very much. And that’s all for now.