On 23- 24 September 2026, the Council of Europe’s Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity, Marja Ruotanen, visited Washington D.C. to take part in the development of Practical Guidelines for Internet Intermediaries under the Inter-American Model Law to Prevent, Punish and Eradicate Gender-Based Digital Violence against Women., organised by the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI). The event brought together representatives of governments, civil society organisations, international organisations and internet intermediaries in a multi-stakeholder process, ensuring that the development of the Guidelines draws on a broad range of legal, policy, technical and operational expertise.
On 23 September, Marja Ruotanen contributed to a technical exchange on how the forthcoming Guidelines can translate the Inter-American Model Law into practical measures. Discussions covered victim-centred reporting and responses, content moderation and redress, as well as preventive measures to reduce harm before it occurs.
Director-General Ruotanen spoke, on 24 September, on a high-level panel on Building Global Standards to Eradicate Gender-Based Digital Violence Against Women. She stressed that the borderless nature of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls requires strong international and regional cooperation. The Istanbul Convention is the basis for the Council of Europe’s work in the area of preventing and combating violence against women and girls, with monitoring showing where States stand with regard to implementation and co-operation activities helping to address implementation challenges. Marja Ruotanen also stressed the importance of accountability in addressing the digital dimension of such violence, an area further developed in Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)2 on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 4 March 2026.
The event enhanced dialogue between the Council of Europe and the Inter-American system about responses to technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, and strengthened links with key actors involved in translating standards into practice.
