WASHINGTON, USA — The general secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS), with the support of the government of Canada, November 25, launched the white paper “Combating Online Violence against Women – A Call for Protection,” on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, designated by the United Nations.
The United Nations (UN) defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”
The objective of the publication is to make a call to governmental representatives and society in general about situations of violence against women through cybernetic media. The document incorporates and analyzes the methods most frequently used in violence against women in electronic media and how this problem is being addressed in Latin America and the Caribbean. Finally, it includes 10 measures to prevent and combat violence against women in cyberspace.
The secretary for multidimensional security of the OAS, Farah Urrutia, said “eradicating violence against women in all its forms and manifestations is a common and priority objective in which all efforts are necessary. The internet cannot be excluded from this fight, so it is very important to raise awareness about the violence suffered by many women, especially the younger ones, in cyberspace. With this publication that we launch [today] we join the call of the United Nations on this international day for the elimination of violence against women.”