Today, the Platform of Independent Expert Mechanisms on Discrimination and Violence against Women (EDVAW Platform) launched its first thematic paper on the digital dimension of violence against women as addressed by its seven mechanisms. This thematic paper was adopted by the EDVAW Platform at its 14th meeting held online on 17 November 2022, under the presidency of the Council of Europe Expert Group on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO).
The EDVAW Platform is composed of international and regional women’s rights mechanisms, including the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, as well as representatives from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, GREVIO, the Inter‑American Commission on Human Rights’ Rapporteur on the Rights of Women, the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI).
The thematic paper on the digital dimension of violence against women as addressed by the seven mechanisms of the EDVAW Platform is composed of six sections. First, it provides an overview of the nature, scale and impacts of online and technology-facilitated violence against women, as well as the terminology used in this field. Second, it contains an outline of approaches taken by the mechanisms of the EDVAW Platform regarding the digital dimension of violence against women. Third, it discusses key themes identified throughout the work of the Platform members concerning the digital dimension of violence against women. Next, it identifies some promising practices and challenges reported by the EDVAW Platform mechanisms in combating the digital dimension of violence against women. Last, it proposes common action to be taken by the EDVAW Platform in response to the growing worldwide problem of online and technology-facilitated violence against women.
Text of the thematic report available in English and in Spanish.
