Launch project against gender cyberviolence in the EU

Various non-governmental organizations (NGO) of Spain, Portugal and Croatia have launched this Tuesday in Zagreb a three-year joint project against cyber gender violencein which proposals for legal guidelines will be drawn up to better combat this scourge in the three countries and throughout the European Union (EU).

"We hope that through this project we can prepare documents and influence the public administration to include more issues related to cyber violence against women and girls in criminal law," explained the representative of the European Women's Lobby in Spain (LEM Spain), Teresa Nevado Bueno, presenting the plan at an international conference in Zagreb.

He stressed in this context that there are still numerous crimes of cyber bullying and media violencesuch as the distribution of sexual content over the Internet, the use of fake profiles and hate speech, which have not been introduced or are not sufficiently well defined in the penal codes of the 27 EU countries.

There is also a lack of updated analysis and studies, as well as campaigns to raise awareness at the institutional and social level, especially among adolescents, about the importance of these issues, he added.

Although the cyber violence against women and girls “It is perpetrated in the virtual sphere, results in tangible damage at the physical, sexual, psychological, social, economic and other levels. Violence does not stop when the woman disconnects ”, warned Alexandra Silva, from the Portuguese Platform for the Women's Rights (PfDM).

Now: Inaugural Conference European Project "Raising awareness about gender-based cyberviolence and advocating for a safer digital environment for women and girls".
Follow him live here (in English): https://t.co/USJznHwHnR

— European Women's Lobby in Spain (@LEM_esp) March 7, 2023

She opined that gender-based violence, "deeply rooted in our sexist societies", is dangerously supported by modern technology and, according to the Croatian ombudsman for Gender equality, Visnja Ljubiciccrimes of this type on the Internet are increasing exponentially in Europe.

According to a recent study, a 67% of the people between 18 and 25 years that live in Portugal have been exposed to sexual violence based on images published on the internet and a 95% of the women affected suffered negative consequences, especially depressioncommunicated Ana Nevesfrom the Portuguese Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (IGC).

The project, which will be co-financed with EU funds, was launched today at a conference entitled "Raising awareness of gender-based cyber violence and ways to provide a safer online environment for women and girls" (bE-SAFE)”, organized by the Croatian Ombudsman for Gender Equality, held in Zagreb and broadcast over the internet.