IWD: Urgent reforms needed to tackle online abuse against women, says UN

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says accelerated reforms are required to tackle online abuse against girls and women.

Natalia Kanem, UNFPA executive director, said in a statement to mark this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) on Wednesday, that countries should include women in technology advancement.

“When women and girls are included in the creation and design of technology, there is a world of potential for innovation that promotes gender equality and benefits society as a whole. In contrast, excluding women comes at a high cost,” Kanem was quoted as saying by Kori Habib, UNFPA Nigeria representative, who issued the statement.

She said including women and girls in the creation and advancement of technology is key to ensuring the safety, usability, and inclusivity of digital tools and products.

She noted that this year’s IWD also “explores the impact of the digital gender gap on economic and social inequalities; spotlighting the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces”.

Kanem lamented that technology is increasingly being misused and weaponised against women and girls on the basis of gender known as technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

“We are addressing the ever-evolving problem of technology-facilitated gender-based violence which takes many forms, including sextortion (threatening to publish sexual information or images),” she added.

She revealed that a recent survey done on 14,000 girls aged 15 to 25 in 22 countries — including Nigeria — showed 58 percent of the respondents have been harassed or abused online.

Kanem called on governments to accelerate legislative reforms to tackle online abuse against women and update online privacy and protection laws to facilitate women’s opportunities in the digital space.