The Beijing Platform for Action Meets the World Summit on the Information Society

9. CONNECTING WSIS ICT POLICY WITH HUMAN RIGHTS

BPFA STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES:

1 Promote and protect the human rights of women by putting into effect all human rights instruments, especially the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

2 Ensure that women have equal rights and are not discriminated against either under law or in practice.

3 Achieve legal literacy.

ICT POTENTIAL:

Women in countries with repressive regime are using the internet to make known to the outside world violations of their human rights.

ICTs are being used by women to facilitate the communication among organizations, thus empowering the networks that work to ensure that women have equal rights.

Women are using ICTs to gain access to legal information (law and other legal instruments, new legislation and legal recourse and accountability procedures) thus enabling them to discuss human rights issues with authority.

WHAT GENDER ADVOCATES ARE FIGHTING FOR IN THE WSIS POLICY DOCUMENTS

Protect women's human rights against on-line sexual exploitation and gender-based violence without compromising women's rights to information and communication.

Encourage the corporate sector to eliminate violation of women's rights on-line.

Observe human rights standards in content production and usage of ICTs.

Promote women's rights to expression and communication through the use of ICTs.

Encourage internet service providers to undertake self-regulatory efforts to minimize pornography, trafficking and all forms of gender-based violence on-line by re-examining their own editorial/ user policies from a gender perspective

Develop reporting mechanisms to monitor progress towards gender equality in the ICT area.