This review of related studies and literature forms part of the legal remedy research which falls under the End violence: Women’s rights and safety online (EndVAW) flagship project of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). The project is to be implemented from 2012 to 2015 with support from the Dutch government’s Funding Leadership and Opportunities for Women (FLOW) programme.

The review will present different perspectives on the interrelatedness and interconnectedness between ICT and VAW. It will cover the existing laws, prevailing policy frameworks and mechanisms in cases of technology-related VAW, and identify gaps and emerging issues from seven countries, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan and the Philippines. The review particularly aims to contribute to the realisation of the objectives of the legal remedy research:

• To get recognition of technology-related VAW as constituting violence against women.

• To encourage reporting of technology-related VAW to obtain redress for survivors.

• To identify and propose remedies either through existing mechanisms or through the establishment of new ones.

• To provide positive recommendations that support women’s access to justice and ability to exercise their full range of rights, online and offline.

Table of contents

1. Introduction……………………………………………….4

2. Framing technology-related VAW……………………………………………….5
2.1 VAW under international instruments……………………………………………….5
2.2 VAW through ICT and the forms thereof……………………………………………….7

3. Perspectives on legal remedies……………………………………………….12
3.1 Access to justice as viewed by international human rights instruments……………………………………………….13
3.1 Standards and frameworks on access to justice……………………………………………….13
3.2 Standards and frameworks on women’s access to justice and ICT-related VAW……………………………………………….14

4. Domestic responses of selected countries to ICT-related VAW……………………………………………….19
4.1 Recognition of human rights and women’s rights……………………………………………….20
4.2 Violence against women as defined in the law……………………………………………….20
4.3 ICT-related VAW……………………………………………….21
4.4 Issues and challenges with existing VAW and ICT-related laws……………………………………………….22

To read more on the research findings click here

This research is part of the APC “End violence: Women´s rights and online safety” project funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS) and is based on a strong alliance with partners in seven countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, and Philippines.

Year of publication

2014

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