Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, OSCE Chair-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg called on participating States to increase efforts and resources to combat all forms of violence experienced by women and girls, including online violence.
While significant strides have been made towards gender equality, gender-based violence continues to affect millions of women and girls. This is particularly true for online violence which has been on the increase with the growth of the internet and social media. Reports on the prevalence of violence against women note that the forms and frequency of violence directed at women and girls online continue to increase.
"Online violence against women and girls is a violation of their fundamental rights," Chair-in-Office Borg said. "Although often invisible, it leaves a very real and negative impact on women and girls, causing psychological harm, threatening safety, silences them and deepens the digital gender gap."
He highlighted that ending violence against women and girls remains a top priority for the OSCE. He praised the work the Organization is doing through its Secretariat, field operations and institutions, to combat all forms of violence against women and girls.
"The OSCE is playing a leading role in helping to combat all forms of violence against women and better support survivors. I am grateful to all our dedicated staff for their strong stance against any form of violence against women and girls," Chair-in-Office Borg said.
The OSCE Secretariat works to combat all forms of violence against women, including online violence. These efforts include advancing data collection, and increasing capacity-building and raising awareness to help governments and civil society effectively respond to these challenges.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) also remains at the forefront of efforts to address online violence against women. Its work underscores the broader threat posed by such violence to our democracies, as it discourages women from running for political office and endangers the safety of women human rights defenders. Addressing online violence has also become an integral part of its election observation activities .
Chair-in-Office Borg called for strengthened cooperation between governments, civil society, and the private sector to ensure digital spaces are safe, inclusive, and empowering for women and girls everywhere.
"We must do more. This is our shared responsibility. The time to act is now - to guarantee women and girls their fundamental right to safety," Chair-in-Office Borg said.
The OSCE's commitment to combatting violence against women and girls is deeply rooted in the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality, as well as key Ministerial Council Decisions (MC.DEC 15/5, 7/14 and 4/18) aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women. MC Dec 4/18 specifically mentions violence committed through digital technologies, noting its silencing of women's and girls' voices in the public sphere. It calls for taking action to address violence, abuse, threats, and harassment, including through digital technologies. The OSCE also pledged to take concrete actions to protect women from online violence at the 2021 Paris Generation Equality Forum on Gender-Based Violence, Economic Justice and Rights and Technology and Innovation.
