A New Threat to Women in Politics: Online Gender-Based Violence
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In the last decade, women’s participation in public life has increased despite continued challenges to achieve gender parity. New technologies have transformed the way societies engage, creating opportunities to reach a greater number of people and increasing access to information. Unfortunately, the digital realm has become an increasingly violent space, especially for women, faced with the decision of having to choose between their professional aspirations and their personal security, especially in countries suffering from democratic backsliding, authoritarian regimes, and increased levels of insecurity.
In Arab States, nearly half of women internet users report feeling unsafe from online interactions. While in active conflict, technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-GBV) is a rampant issue in Ukraine and Russia, where women activists are subject to online bullying and harassment. And in Latin America, one of the most violent regions in the world for women, female political candidates continue to be socially stigmatized.
In honor of International Women’s Month, please join the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute, Latin America Program, and Middle East Program on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, from 10:00am to 11:00am ET, for a conversation with female public figures from Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, to discuss how public female figures can be better protected against online attacks; the challenges they face as they become influential figures; and the role of the state in providing legal frameworks that support and protect them.
Introduction
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Hosted By
Kennan Institute
The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange. Read more
Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
Maternal Health Initiative
Despite global attention and calls to action, women continue to die while giving birth. The Maternal Health Initiative (MHI) leads the Wilson Center’s work on maternal health, global health equity, and gender equality. MHI works to connect issues critical to global health and women’s empowerment to foreign policy and US leadership, with a focus on improving the lives of women, adolescents, and children around the world. Through collaborations with policymakers, academia, donors, and practitioners, MHI produces cutting-edge research, fosters cross-sectoral engagement, increases awareness of key issues, and informs US leadership on solutions for ending maternal and newborn deaths and addressing gender-based global health issues. Read more
Middle East Program
The Wilson Center’s Middle East Program serves as a crucial resource for the policymaking community and beyond, providing analyses and research that helps inform US foreign policymaking, stimulates public debate, and expands knowledge about issues in the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Read more