Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Its Causes and Consequences on Online Violence against Women and Girls from a Human Rights Perspective, A/HRC/38/47

The Report of the Special Rapporteur analyzes online violence and violence facilitated by information and communications technology (ICT) against women and girls from a human rights perspective. Taking off from the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination and related instruments, it defines online violence against women as extending to any act of gender-based violence against women that is committed, assisted or aggravated in part or fully by the use of ICT such as mobile phones and smartphones, the internet, social media platforms or email, against a woman because she is a woman or affects women disproportionately. The Report concludes that international human rights law and the Sustainable Development Goals and targets on achieving gender equality, empowering women and girls, and eliminating violence against women in public and private life are fully applicable in digital spaces and actions enabled by ICT. It recommends, among others, that States should recognize online and IT-facilitated violence against women as a human rights violation and a form of discrimination and gender-based violence against women, and apply core international human rights instruments.