Experts Unite to Create Model Law Against Digital Violence in the Americas

Cristina Bazán – España | Guayaquil

More than 70 experts from Latin America and the Caribbean, the United States, Canada and Europe are meeting on November 30 and December 1 at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS), in Washington, United States, to exchange experiences, proposals and reflections for the development of a model law to prevent, punish and eradicate digital gender-based violence.

File photo of activists in favor of the Olimpia Law in Mexico. EFE/José Pazos

For two days, experts in gender, law, cybersecurity, freedom of expression, digital platforms and regulation, among other areas, will participate in dialogue sessions to establish the fundamental points that must be taken into account in the development of a model law that protects women in the region against digital violence.

According to a recent report published by the OAS Follow-up Mechanism to the Convention of Belém do Pará (Mesecvi), UN Women and the Spotlight Initiative, 73% of women have experienced some form of online violence and almost 60% of girls and young women around the world have been victims of different forms of cyberbullying on social media.

Meanwhile, in Latin America and the Caribbean, more than 65% of women do not report acts of digital violence (Argentina), only 18% of victims attempted to report (Chile), and of those who went to the authorities, only 6.78% received a criminal complaint.

“Offline assaults and digital assaults are almost never framed within the systemic violence affecting women around the world and public discourse largely refers to them as a phenomenon separate from the ‘real’ world. However, experiences show that this violence has a concrete impact on all spheres of their lives,” the MESECVI said in a statement.

This model law would be the third to be drafted by the Mesecvi committee of experts, after one related to preventing, punishing and eradicating the violent death of women for reasons of gender and another on violence against women in political life, which have served as a guide for various countries in the region to develop legal frameworks and public policies of greater scope and protection.

A Model Law Against Digital Violence in the Americas

Digital violence against women and girls has become one of the “most worrisome issues in terms of women’s human rights, both because of its growing impact and scope, and because of the lack of tools to address it,” says the OAS organization.

And although some countries such as Mexico, Argentina or Ecuador have made progress in their recognition and inclusion in their legislation, as is the case of the Olimpia Law, there are still debts related to the mechanisms of attention and protection, the creation of protocols for their investigation and the implementation of a regulation that incorporates the highest standards of international law.

In this context, during the first half of 2023, the Ministry of Education launched the process to create an inter-American model law that will serve as a guide for the region to adapt its legislation and develop national plans and public policies on the matter, and within the framework of this process, these conferences are being held with the support of a broad alliance in which organizations such as Equality Now participate, the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism, UN Women, UNFPA, the European Union programme EUROsociAL, the Wilson Center and the Regional Alliance for Free Expression and Information.

In addition, important activists such as Olimpia Coral and Thelma Fardin, experts, ministers of state and prosecutors from various parts of the region and the world will participate.

This event opens a process of regional consultations for the preparation of the draft model law that will run during 2024 and through which it is expected to involve various sectors and organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.