Untangling gender in code and law

 

There is now a much greater awareness across Latin America about gender-based violence, and many countries in the region have piloted efforts to combat the problem. However, in parallel, there has also been an increasing political polarization and a marked backlash against human rights and efforts to support gender equality. This has only intensified with the rise of social media. While social media platforms have created dynamic opportunities for political engagement, activism and advocacy, they are also becoming toxic spaces for female public figures, politicians, LGBTQI+ and marginalized populations. Curbing the negative impacts and reinforcing positive political spaces nationally and globally requires evidence, local research capacity, and civic and political leadership.

This project aims to tackle the escalating challenges in Latin America of gender-based violence that rely on digital technologies to cause harm, also known as online gender-based violence (OGBV). These behaviours broaden the scope of violence and aggravate already well-known forms of abuse. Even while gendered political violence and disinformation have quickly expanded globally, the nature and impact of OGBV, as a source of gender inequality, remains understudied.

This project will improve our understanding of OGBV in Latin America by building the evidence base and making the issues visible across the region. It will monitor and investigate the current social media, legal and policy landscapes regionally and develop a legal and policy framework to support governments, the private sector and civil society organizations to counter OGBV in a more strategic, targeted and intersectional way. This work will shape public awareness in the region, guide Latin American policies on OGBV and influence international regulatory and policy discussions.