Pushing Back Against the Pushback: How the Nordics Tackle Online Gender Violence

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Pushing Back Against the Pushback: How the Nordics Tackle Online Gender Violence
3/8/2023 by Dulcie Leimbach



https://msmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-03-06_CSW67_Day-1_Nordic-GBV-Event_0273-1024x704.webp
The 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the U.N. headquarters on March 6, 2023. The theme of a high-level Nordic event, above, was pushing against the backlash on advancing women’s rights, specifically addressing online gender-based violence. The panel included Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir of Iceland, center (in glasses). (John Penney / PassBlue)

This article was originally published on PassBlue, a women-led nonprofit newsroom that covers the U.N. and global women’s rights.

Nordic countries may be gender progressive globally, but they quickly admit they have not figured out how to combat the wide-ranging, rampant instances of gender-based violence online. They roundly acknowledge that the problem stems from instances in the “real world.” “We all know that the world as we know it was designed by men for men”—including the internet and politics, said Katrin Jakobsdottir, the prime minister of Iceland, at an event held on the opening day of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the United Nations’ annual conference on women’s rights, running March 6 to 17.

The theme for the Nordic-led discussion, “Pushing Against the Pushback”—advancing gender equality, the rights of women and girls and LGBTQI people—neatly falls under the theme of this year’s gathering: using innovation and technology to promote gender equality. As U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in his remarks on the opening day, “We cannot let the Silicon Valleys of our world become Death Valley for women’s rights.” He noted that the U.N.’s first report on technology, innovation, education and gender equality recommends, among other steps, “gender-responsive education and skills training; algorithms that align with human rights and gender equality; and investment in bridging the digital gender divide.”

“More than ever, we need collective action by governments, civil society, the private sector and the technology community,” Guterres added, saying that the U.N. is working to promote a code of conduct “for information integrity on digital platforms.” The goal is “to reduce harm and increase accountability while defending the right to freedom of expression.”

The Nordic forum on March 6 featured not only Iceland’s head of government but also government ministers who oversee gender equality in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, respectively; the relevant ministers from the Faroe Islands and Greenland were also panelists. The moderator, Maria Bjarnadottir, director of internet safety for the Icelandic National Commissioner for Police, kept the session brisk and efficient, asking the “politicians” on the panel to avoid being boring. They followed that advice by keeping their remarks brief and laced with honesty and slices of humor.

Here are highlights of what they said about violence against women and girls online (and offline), basing their remarks on the “road map” established last fall by the Nordic Council of Ministers for Gender Equality and LGBT. The declaration draws attention to the regression of gender equality in the Nordic region and across the globe, especially women’s rights to sexual and reproductive health, such as abortion. Legislation remains utmost in protecting women’s rights, the panelists repeatedly said, but each speaker brought national color to the refrain.



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https://msmagazine.com/2023/03/08/online-gender-violence-internet-norway-finland-iceland-greenland/