How can tomorrow’s lawyers and technology professionals shape safer digital spaces for women and girls? In Georgia, future lawyers and ICT professionals are now equipped to create stronger, coordinated responses to digital dimension of violence against women.

This matters because technology is changing not only how people connect, but also how violence against women can occur and how it can be prevented and addressed - often in ways that require both legal and technical solutions.

Thirty students from Georgian universities met in Kakheti for the Summer School “TRANSFORMING JUSTICE: Advancing Gender Equality through Law and Technology”. Law and ICT students worked together, learning to develop practical responses that combine legal protection with safer technology design. Law students deepened their understanding of human rights standards, digital evidence and access to justice, while their peers in technology explored safety by design, digital risk assessment and responsible artificial intelligence.

Throughout the programme, participants engaged in practical exercises and simulations exploring how digital platforms and product design can help prevent or enable violence against women. As one student noted, “Working alongside ICT students showed me that effective responses to violence in the digital sphere require much more than legal knowledge. We need to understand how technologies work if we want to make them safer for all, including for most vulnerable groups.”

The group also studied the Council of Europe's latest standards, including the Committee of Ministers Recommendations on equality and artificial intelligence and on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women. Through role-play and discussions with ICT sector representatives, the students prepared to translate these standards into real-world solutions.

The summer school was organised in the framework of the project “Advancing gender equality, strengthening justice and support for women in Georgia”. The Project is a part of the Council of Europe Action Plan to Georgia 2024-2027.