Event: Digital Gender Violence and Hate Speech, the Role of Men, the Legislation and Implications for Democracy

Brief Description

At the 62th meeting of the Convention of the Status of Women in March 2018, the Ministry of Welfare in collaboration with the Parliament of Iceland, the Icelandic Women's Rights Association, and the Icelandic National Committee of UN Women hosted a side event on digital gender violence and hate speech: the role of men, the legislation and implications for democracy. The aim of the event was to raise awareness around the gendered reality of online abuse and hate speech with women disproportionately affected as certain form of abuse online, such as image based sexual abuse and threats of sexual violence is directed in vast majority towards women. Nevertheless, legal responses to online abuse, hate speech and threats are generally gender neutral, often missing the severe implications that the harsh reality of misogyny and digital gendered violence and abuse can have on women's participation in the democratic discourse taking place online, namely holding back their public participation.