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In today’s highly digital world, connected by the internet, social media, and messaging applications, it is important that women are trained to identify and prevent online gender-based violence (GBV). Globally, roughly 85% of women have reported witnessing online violence against women. To address this issue, the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and its local partner, the Observatory for Women’s Equity (OEM) in Colombia, have been working to identify barriers to women’s participation in business and politics, particularly those emerging from the digital landscape.
CIPE and OEM have released a new report aimed at increasing awareness of online GBV and fostering dialogue on public-private solutions. The report is based on a survey of 470 businesswomen and female workers from Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín that provided an opportunity for these women to share their personal experiences with online harassment.
Overall, over half of the women surveyed reported experiencing some form of online GBV. These women represented a variety of different sectors and experience levels in the workplace. The researchers also found that even when women felt the effects of online GBV, they did not always know how to identify it, which may have led to underreporting of the issue.
Throughout the survey, women frequently highlighted the psychological consequences of online GBV. OEM’s director Lina Buchely Ibarra recalled hearing a woman’s story of encountering GBV through social media:
“This woman, of 47 years old, with two postgraduate degrees… and over 20 years of experience in the public sector, woke up every day with a tweet that said, ‘This little girl is incapable. Until they remove this incompetent woman from the entity, children will continue to suffer. You do not know the emotional toll this had on my workdays…’”
The woman, formerly a high-ranking official in a Colombian entity, ended up documenting 365 days of digital harassment from a national senator. This example demonstrates how powerful women are still often the targets of online harassment despite their vast accomplishments and can face serious psychological repercussions because of the mistreatment.
From Insight to Action
OEM’s director Lina Buchely Ibarra explained that surveys can be a helpful tool to begin closing the awareness gap, especially when introducing new concepts, as women started, “recognizing these phenomena as they were responding to the tool.” Based on the survey results, OEM offered recommendations that target multiple sectors to mitigate online gender-based violence, feature preventative measures to ensure healthy workplaces, and promote statistical literacy.
Check out the full list below:
On November 25, CIPE and OEM hosted an event in Cali to raise awareness of and address the issues highlighted in the report. They facilitated a public-private dialogue to learn more about efforts to address GBV across sectors and find ways to complement them.
At the event, women leaders ranging from journalists to congresswomen described their own efforts working to combat digital GBV, including advocating for the implementation of new legislation. The event highlighted how women leaders can leverage their platforms to echo these issues and generate greater relevance and awareness. In addition to the report’s presentation, the Observatory presented two free and accessible self-tests focused on digital GBV: (1) aimed at women to help identify whether they’ve been impacted by this type of violence, and (2) for private companies to identify and develop preventative measures for a secure digital environment.
Gender-Based Violence and the Private Sector
Gender-based violence impacts all aspects of societies, including economies.
The World Bank estimates that GBV costs between 1.6% and 6.4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Latin American countries. In Peru, a study found that GBV can cost up to $6.7 billion per year for companies due to productivity losses and organizational expenses.
Studies show that recommendations known to combat GBV – gender inclusive policies, for instance – create a better work environment, support employee retention, and improve productivity. Therefore, these preventative measures are a necessary and beneficial investment for companies as well as society.
Women’s empowerment and participation is crucial to countries’ economic progress. Within the private sector, key steps include ensuring their representation in competitive markets and financing their businesses. These activities support both social foundations and democratic institutions, which “creates an environment conducive to economic growth,” says Ángela María Vélez, CIPE Colombia Country Director.
CIPE’s Impact
For this reason, CIPE continues addressing these issues throughout the entire region. In El Salvador, CIPE works with the Salvadorian Association for Economic and Social Development (FUSADES), to research the impact of the local digital transformation on democracy and the economy. Together, CIPE and FUSADES published a report to highlight the relationship between businesswomen, technology, and the private sector, including the presence of GBV in Salvadorean small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
In Colombia, CIPE continues collaborating with the Observatory, facilitating capacity building for SMEs to address online GBV in companies. OEM’s director Lina Buchely Ibarra has highlighted that although women need to take the first step, to be aware of the issue and react accordingly, “the second and third steps, which include prevention, attention, and action, are in the organizations’ hands.”
The responsibility for these efforts cannot solely fall on the shoulders of women or private companies. The public sector also has a crucial role to play by implementing legislation that not only responds to GBV but also works to actively prevent it. Governments can amplify their efforts through public awareness campaigns and by incorporating GBV education into school curricula, helping to inform the public about its impact and consequences. Additionally, organizations outside of the public sector can offer training programs for employees to equip them with the tools necessary to combat GBV. Since GBV affects women in both their personal and professional lives, a comprehensive solution requires collaboration across multiple sectors — public, private, and civil society — to create lasting change.
The #16DaysofActivism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a global campaign held annually from November 25 to December 10, to raise awareness, hold key stakeholders accountability, and call for action from decision-makers. To close this year’s #16DaysofActivism, CIPE is highlighting the issue of GBV in the digital environment in Colombia and its efforts with local partners to facilitate trainings for local companies and raise awareness on the issue.
Published Date: December 10, 2024