Seminar on Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence and Commemoration of 16-days of Activism of Ending Violence against Women and Girls in China

Dear friends, colleagues, ladies, and gentlemen,

On behalf of the United Nations Country Team in China, it is my pleasure to deliver opening remarks and warmly welcome all of you, both present here and joining us online, to the Seminar on Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence (TFGB) co-organized by UN Women and UNFPA today. This event is part of our commemoration of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence against women and girls in China.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence against women and girls is an international civil society led campaign that takes place each year.

It commences on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day, indicating that violence against women is the most pervasive breach of human rights worldwide.

In support of this civil society initiative, under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, the UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women initiative (UNiTE), launched in 2008, calls for global action to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts and share knowledge and innovations to end VAWG once and for all.

We are gathering today to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism in Beijing with focus on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) under the framework of the boarder UN theme in 2023: UNITE! Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls.

While online spaces have enabled connectivity, communication, and access to support networks, they have also become arenas for various forms of violence against women.

For many women and girls, no place is completely safe.  Nearly one in three women and girls on the planet estimated to have survived gender-based violence in their lifetime.  Violence invades their homes, schools, and workplaces, and now, it is becoming alarmingly widespread in their digital lives.  

Online violence can happen anywhere, to anyone, at any time. Yet, it disproportionately affects women and girls.  A global study by the Economist Intelligence Unit found that 38 per cent of women have had personal experiences of online violence, and 85 percent of women who spend time online have witnessed digital violence against other women.

According to a 2023 report from the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), which interviewed more than 18,000 people globally: Almost 30 per cent of women reported negative impacts to their mental health and 23 per cent felt that they could no longer engage freely online after experiencing technology-facilitated violence (TFV).

Addressing TFGBV, as a growing area of critical concern, is no longer negotiable.  Ending TFGBV depends on women playing central and equal roles in designing the technology and innovations that shape our future.  Currently, only one-fifth of people working on artificial intelligence are women, even as evidence grows of AI’s significant gender biases.  Across digital and real-world spaces, design choices made by men have left women sidelined, excluded and vulnerable to harm. Now is the time to correct such imbalances through investment in gender-inclusive and -responsive research and design.  

We have more evidence than ever about what works to prevent and address gender-based violence. Prevention of TFGBV requires working with individual and groups of survivors, advocates and activists, GBV service providers, private companies, public and government departments, as well as professional associations.  A critical strategy and approach in supporting and maintaining prevention efforts will be through the convening role of national Government to foster and sustain these partnerships.  

In China, certain progress has been made in addressing and preventing digital violence against women. While China currently lacks specific governance policies and laws targeting TFGBV, there has been increasing attention in recent years on the development and protection of women, as well as the general governance of online violence.

The China National Program for Women’s Development (2021-2030) specifically emphasizes the maintenance of the online environment and the governance of the online ecosystem, including strengthening gender equality training, assessment, and regulation in the cultural and media fields; enhancing women's awareness and capabilities in online safety, eliminating the digital gender gap; combating online crimes targeting women, and ensuring that women are not subjected to illegal activities through the use of networks. Today, our participants represent government authorities, technology companies, civil society organizations, academia, young people, and UN agencies, fostering a collaborative environment for sharing experience and discussing solutions.

As the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said, “Together, let us stand up and speak out. Let's build a world that refuses to tolerate violence against women anywhere, in any form, once and for all.”

On this 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls, let us recommit to concrete actions that will protect women and girls in all their diversity. Let us recommit to building a world that is more just, inclusive, and equitable, and where women and girls can live in peace.  Be it online or offline, every space should be safe and free from gender-based violence.

I wish you a successful seminar.  Thank you very much.