DAVMUN 5.
UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON THE
STATUS OF WOMEN
STUDY GUIDE.
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LETTER FROM EB.
Dear Delegates,
It is with a tremendous sense of privilege and honour that we welcome you to DAVMUN.
What makes this MUN so unique and special, is the fact that it was made with a humble
vision to spark creativity, boost self-confidence, raise self-esteem and unlock hidden abilities
that you never knew you had. Abilities like thinking for yourself, conjuring arguments on the
spot, experimenting with different tactics and scenarios, learning to adapt, and overcome
unexpected perils and most importantly: developing leadership skills. No matter what you
want to do in life, you will end up in situations where you might need to step up and inspire
people. We simply want to prepare you for that faithful day. So that you can lead your
followers to victory and bask in glory. It is our sacred belief that each and every individual
has the power to be someone great. All it takes is a little spark in the form of guidance,
wisdom and mentoring. Personally, MUNs have put us through trials and tribulations which
demanded us to break out of our carapace. A carapace wielded by shyness, self- doubt and
rock bottom self-esteem. We emerged victorious, learning the art of diplomacy and
socialising. Not to mention the fact we had the wonderful opportunity to meet some of the
most brilliant and passionate people of our generation. To us, the awards are a plus. The fact
is that one day you’ll start going to MUNs just because of the thrills you get when you put
yourself in a competitive position where the spotlight shines on you and you only. You will
learn new ways to diffuse conflict and get inspired by others. All it takes is a bit of time,
energy and passion. What is expected of you is quite simple.
As your EB, we wish to see you succeed and have a good experience all together. So, it is
imperative to follow and adhere to certain rules. It is our hope that you put in wholehearted
efforts to research and comprehensively grasp all important facets of the agenda. All the
delegates should be prepared well to make the council’s direction and debate productive.
After all, only then will you truly be able to represent yourself in the best possible way. We
encourage you to go beyond this background guide and delve into the extremities of the
agenda to further enhance your knowledge of a burning issue on hand.
Having said this, we welcome each and every one of you to the United Nations Commission
on the Status of Women to confer and debate.
For any further assistance, feel free to contact us.
Sakshi Undegaonkar Tanushree Patil
(Executive Director) (Assistant Director)
sakshi.undegaonkar23@[Link] tanushreepats@[Link]
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ABOUT THE COMMITTEE.
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the
principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion
of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is a functional
commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and was
established by ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946. A functional
commission is a deliberative body whose role is to consider and make
recommendations on issues in their areas of responsibility and expertise.
During its first session, the Commission declared as one of its guiding
principles: “to raise the status of women, irrespective of nationality, race,
language or religion, to equality with men in all fields of human enterprise, and
to eliminate all discrimination against women in the provisions of statutory law,
in legal maxims or rules, or in interpretation of customary law”.
The Commission adopts multi-year programmes of work to appraise progress
and make further recommendations to accelerate the implementation of the
Platform for Action. The Commission also contributes to the follow-up of the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, mainly SDG -5: Gender Equality. A
new multi-year programme of work for the years 2021-2024 is contained in
ECOSOC resolution 2020/15. The priorities for the years 2023 and 2024 are -
2023: Priority theme: Innovation and technological change, and education in the
digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women
and girls. Review theme: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender
equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls (agreed conclusions of
the sixty-second session)
2024: Priority theme: Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the
empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening
institutions and financing with a gender perspective. Review theme: Social
protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for
gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls (agreed conclusions
of the sixty-third session)
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The active participation of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is a critical
element in the work of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). UN
Women facilitates the participation of ECOSOC accredited NGOs in the
sessions of the CSW.
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THE AGENDA.
As digital technology mediates more and more of our daily lives, it is also
facilitating new and heightened forms of gender-based violence. Online
violence against women and girls, though not a new phenomenon, has escalated
rapidly since the onset of COVID-19—with serious implications for women’s
safety and well-being. The impacts of such violence extend beyond the digital
sphere, posing a significant threat to the exercise of women’s rights both online
and off. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF GBV) is any act that
is committed, assisted, aggravated or amplified by the use of information
communication technologies or other digital tools which results in or is likely to
result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political or economic harm or
other infringements of rights and freedoms. These are forms of violence that are
directed against women because they are women and/or that affect women
disproportionately. It encompasses many forms, including intimate image abuse,
doxing (the sharing of personal or identifying details), trolling (posting
messages, images or videos and the creation of hashtags for the purpose of
provoking or inciting violence against women and girls) and sharing of
deepfake images. TF GBV also includes misogynistic or gendered hate speech
as well as efforts to silence and discredit women online, including threats of
offline violence.
The impact of TF GBV can be as harmful as offline violence, with negative
effects on the health and wellbeing of women and girls as well as serious
economic, social and political impacts. This is a significant concern, particularly
considering that the majority of the estimated 2.9 billion people who remain
unconnected to the Internet are women and girls, and those who experience
multiple inequalities are the least likely to have access.
A core theme of CSW67 was the lack of diversity in teams developing AI
systems; one of the main challenges for the technology is its potential to
perpetuate existing biases and inequalities. Responsible development and
deployment of AI, along with strong ethical guidelines and regulations, are
essential to mitigate potential risks and ensure that AI is used to benefit society
rather than harm individuals.
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CYBERVIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.
Cyberviolence is an increasing problem worldwide - even more so since the
Covid-19 pandemic - and is often gender-based and targeting women and girls.
Cyberviolence hampers the full realisation of gender equality and violates
women’s rights. Research by the World Health Organization shows that one in
three women will have experienced a form of violence in her lifetime, and
despite the relatively new and growing phenomenon of internet connectivity, it
is estimated that one in ten women have already experienced a form of cyber
violence since the age of 15. Access to the internet is fast becoming a necessity
for economic well-being, and is increasingly viewed as a fundamental human
right; therefore it is crucial to ensure that this digital public space is a safe and
empowering place for everyone, including women and girls.
Women and children were the most vulnerable parts of society during the
pandemic, making them simple targets for cybercriminals. The most common
cybercrime performed against women during the pandemic was sextortion.
Cases of sending rape and death threats to the victim and posting false and
abusive statements about the victims on social media sites, and demanding
money to have them removed were also observed, especially in India. The
absence of agreed definitions and methodologies for measurement coupled with
widespread underreporting make it a challenge to understand the true extent of
the problem globally as well as to identify any regional variations. Many
countries are yet to include questions related to online and technology facilitated
VAWG in their VAW prevalence surveys and those that do use different
definitions and methodologies, so the available data is not comparable and there
are significant ranges in the estimated prevalence rates. In the EU-28, 18
percent of women have experienced a form of serious Internet violence at ages
as young as 15. This corresponds to about 9 million women.
Complacency and failure to address and solve cyber VAWG could significantly
impede the uptake of broadband by women everywhere; without action, an
an unprecedented surge of 21st century violence could run rampant if steps are
not urgently taken to rein in the forms of online violence that are escalating
unchecked.
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SYSTEMATIC TARGETING OF WOMEN FROM
MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES
There is a growing concern that AI systems have been proven to be biased
against women, minorities, and other marginalised groups. Online spaces have
become breeding grounds for hate speech, misogyny, and cyberbullying,
disproportionately affecting these women. Social media platforms, for instance,
perpetuate harmful stereotypes and enable the incitement of violence against
women from specific backgrounds. Biased algorithms in hiring and financial
services exacerbate gender-based discrimination, limiting the opportunities
available to marginalised women. Similarly, IBM states that the shortcomings of
facial recognition technology which research showed to only work accurately
for male, white faces – was "not with the AI technology itself, per se, but with
how the AI-powered facial recognition systems are trained". Moreover,
technology has been misused for surveillance, leading to violations of privacy
and autonomy, as women's movements are monitored and controlled. These
harms underscore the urgent need to address the negative impact of technology
on marginalised women, striving for inclusive and equitable digital spaces that
prioritise their safety and well-being. By recognizing and rectifying these issues,
we can pave the way for a more just and empowering technological landscape
for all women.
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THE ROLE OF DEEPFAKES
Deepfakes, fueled by artificial intelligence, have emerged as a troubling tool to
perpetrate sexual harassment against women. These manipulated videos
convincingly superimpose someone's face onto another person's body, leading
viewers to believe they are witnessing explicit acts involving the targeted
individual. As a result, non-consensual creation and distribution of sexually
explicit content have become rampant, severely infringing on women's privacy
and dignity. Sensity AI, a research company that has tracked online deepfake
videos since December of 2018, has consistently found that between 90% and
95% of them are non-consensual explicit content. The ease of sharing such
content on various platforms amplifies the harm, making it difficult to control
its dissemination and impact. This malicious use of technology poses a
significant threat to women's safety and reputation. Urgent action is needed to
combat this digital exploitation, safeguard women's rights, and raise awareness
about the potential dangers of deepfakes. Implementing effective legal measures
and advancing deepfake detection technologies are vital steps toward protecting
women from this evolving threat.
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WHAT DO THE STATISTICS SAY?
While there continue to be significant data gaps, one global study by the
Institute of Development Studies suggests that between 16-58 per cent of
women have experienced TF GBV. Another global study by the Economist
Intelligence Unit found that 38 per cent of women have had personal
experiences of online violence, and 85 per cent of women who spend time
online have witnessed digital violence against other women. The most common
forms of violence reported were misinformation and defamation (67 per cent),
cyber harassment (66 per cent), hate speech (65 per cent), impersonation (63 per
cent), hacking and stalking (63 per cent), astroturfing (a coordinated effort to
concurrently share damaging content across platforms, 58 per cent), video and
image-based abuse (57 per cent), doxing (55 per cent), violent threats (52 per
cent), and the reception of unwanted images or sexually explicit content (43 per
cent).
Emerging data from different regions of the world demonstrate that this is a
universal problem. A UN Women study in the Arab States region found that 60
per cent of women internet users had been exposed to online violence in the past
year. A study of 5 countries in sub-Saharan Africa by the Association for
Progressive Communications found that 28 per cent of women had experienced
online GBV. A 2017 multi-country survey of women aged 18 – 55 in Denmark,
Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA found that
nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of women reported at least one experience of
online abuse or harassment.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to an intensification of TF GBV, as women’s and
girls’ lives shifted online for work, school, social activities and more. In
Australia, the reliance on digital communication during COVID-19 likely led to
a 210 per cent increase in image-based abuse. Data from India, Sri Lanka, and
Malaysia showed a 168 per cent increase in the volume of and engagement with
misogynistic online posts and tweets during COVID-19 related lockdowns.
One online survey found that 38 per cent of respondents experienced online
abuse in the months preceding COVID-19, with 27 per cent reported increased
online abuse during the pandemic.
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These statistics were even greater for Black and minoritised women: 50 per cent
reported online abuse before the pandemic and 38 per cent reported an increase
during COVID-19.
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WHAT HAVE WE DONE SO FAR?
The 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67),
convening under the priority theme: “Innovation and technological change, and
education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment
of all women and girls”, will highlight TF GBV as one of four key areas of
focus. CSW67 provides a unique opportunity to shape a future where women
and girls are free to be safe online and when using digital tools.
UN Women is also addressing the issue through the Generation Equality Action
Coalitions on Gender-Based Violence and on Technology and Innovation for
Gender Equality. The Action Coalitions are multi-stakeholder partnerships that
bring together governments, civil society and the private sector to drive
collective action and increased investments on key gender equality issues.
Tackling TFGBV is a priority of these Coalitions, who are working to scale up
evidence-based prevention programming, increase the availability of
survivor-centred services, provide support to feminist organisations and more.
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WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO?
1. Adopt a comprehensive definition and address data gaps, to
increase understanding about the drivers of TF GBV and the
profiles of perpetrators.
2. Develop and implement comprehensive laws and regulatory
mechanisms on tech-facilitated GBV, informed by an
intersectional, human rights based, survivor-centred approach and
with the meaningful participation of survivors and women’s
organisations.
3. Develop regulations and standards of accountability for Internet
intermediaries and the technology sector to enhance transparency
and accountability on TF GBV and on the use of data.
4. Integrate digital citizenship and ethical use of digital tools into
school curriculum as a prevention strategy to foster positive social
norms across the online and offline continuum. Use digital
citizenship training to sensitise young people, especially young
men and boys, caregivers, and educators to ethical and responsible
online behaviour.
5. Empower women and girls to participate and lead in the technology
sector to inform the design and use of safe digital tools and spaces
free of TF GBV.
6. Ensure that public and private sector entities prioritise the
prevention and elimination of TF GBV, through human
rights-based design approaches, safeguards and adequate
investments.
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FURTHER RESEARCH
● UN Women
● UNESCO Report on Online Violence Against Women
● UN Women Efforts Report
● Intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women:
Report of the Secretary-General (2022)
● Accelerating efforts to tackle online and technology-facilitated violence against
women and girls: UN Women policy brief
● Stepping up action to prevent and respond to online and ICT-facilitated
violence against women and girls
● Normative frameworks on gender perspectives in technology and innovation
● Online and ICT-facilitated violence against women and girls during COVID-19
● Online violence against women in Asia: A multicountry study
● Violence against women in the online space: Insights from a multi-country
study in the Arab States
● Generation Equality Action Coalitions
● Gender-Based Violence
● Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality
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