Women Human Rights Defenders in the Online Space: Challenges and Opportunities
When
Where
Organized by
To mark the International Day of Women Human Rights Defenders as part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, ODIHR invites interested State and civil society representatives to join an online discussion on challenges and opportunities that digital tools and the online space present for women human rights defenders (WHRDs).
Guiding questions
- What are the challenges/opportunities faced by WHRDs in the OSCE region as regards the proliferation of new technologies? What are key concerns about their security in the digital space and possible mitigation measures?
- How can technology be used as a tool by WHRDs to increase their advocacy and networking impact?
- How are OSCE participating States protecting WHRDs online? Good examples and challenges.
- What are some good examples and challenges in OSCE and other international organizations’ work to promote the protection and participation of WHRDs online in the OSCE region?
Registration
To take part in the webinar, please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join the webinar. Please note this event will not be recorded.
Moderator
- Andrea Huber, Head of Human Rights Department, OSCE/ODIHR
Facilitators
- Kaitlin Ball, Adviser, Human Rights and New Technology, OSCE/ODIHR
- Francesca De Antoni, Human Rights Officer/Human Rights, Gender and Security, OSCE/ODIHR
- Angelica Notaristefano, Assistant Project Officer, OSCE/ODIHR
Introduction to ODIHR’s FreedomLab platform for human rights defenders
- Lillian Langford, Senior Human Rights Adviser, OSCE/ODIHR
Panellists
- Liliana Palihovici, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender
- Natalia Krapiva, Tech-Legal Counsel, Access Now
- Tolekan Ismailova, Director, Human Rights Movement “Bir Duino-Kyrgyzstan”
The meeting will be conducted in English with Russian interpretation.
Background
In line with the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and ODIHR's Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, human rights defenders (HRDs) are people who act “individually or in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms” at the local, national, regional and international levels and they defend human rights by peaceful means. ODIHR has long been engaged in the protection of HRDs.
In its 2013 Resolution on WHRDs, the United Nations General Assembly noted that WHRDs increasingly face “information-technology-related violations, abuses, discrimination and violence […] such as online harassment, cyberstalking, violation of privacy, censorship and the hacking of e-mail accounts, mobile phones and other electronic devices”; these “can be a manifestation of systemic gender-based discrimination, requiring effective responses compliant with human rights”.