The internet and new technologies have changed the way we communicate, exchange information, and provided us with new tools and channels for work, education, and conducting our social and professional activities.
Digital spaces should be tools that facilitate the achievement of gender equality, the elimination of social inequalities, and actions towards the realization of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
The development of new technologies must take place with the guarantee – in the regulations, which in this case are essential – of the rights of excluded, marginalized, and discriminated groups.
Otherwise, the internet and social media platforms will become, to an even greater extent than they are now, a hostile environment where not everyone is welcome, and some users can harm others with impunity, including women. This is especially concerning, as cyberviolence is already a daily reality for most Polish women.
That is why we have signed the petition of the European Fem Institute (EFI), a think tank that serves as a platform for cooperation among European experts on women’s rights, directed to Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
We demand that the issue of cyberviolence against women be treated as a priority and addressed seriously. This is an urgent matter – studies on cyberviolence against women in Poland show that it affects 39% of adult female internet users, and indirectly – 64% of women who notice online violence targeted at other women. Cyberviolence has a wide impact on all areas of life: private, professional, educational, and on women’s social and political activities.
You can learn more about cyberviolence against women here: www.feminstitute.eu
