Government Policy
Setting the scene
As governments across the world try to keep up with the pace of tech development, legislation is being developed to regulate platforms and ensure the protection of users.
There are particular challenges that come with addressing OGBV in government legislation, such as the potential for misuse, low enforcement and reporting rates, and the lack of a holistic view of the issue. Existing legislation either focuses on gender-based violence or online violence but not both as a distinct issue presenting particular challenges which demand specific responses. And, in some cases, legal protections that could be deterrent or remedies for OGBV are or have been misused to increase surveillance and curb freedoms of expression
What are we doing about it?
We continue to see many governments across the globe embarking on efforts to put in place legislation and regulation to address OGBV. Members across the network are involved in consultations and are leading efforts in their respective countries and regions. Drawing on the learnings from our landscaping research, we’ve been able to inform the process by sharing examples and best practices from other regions.
In our TPDL workshops we will take a human-centered approach to co-design and test a set of guidelines that would inform the development of legislation that effectively addresses and responds to OGBV.
At our first workshop we discussed and defined what government guidelines should aim to address and what lessons we can take from previous work in this area. We looked at Costa Rica and their recent experience developing a National Action Plan for the implementation of their Gender, Science and Technology Policy. Kemly Camacho from Sula Batsu shared her experience of being involved in this process and we used this case study to derive key takeaways and insights for global policy implementation.
In the second workshop, we developed the guidelines for government policy and legislation, identifying key design principles and core elements to include in a transposable roadmap.
In our third workshop we tested these guidelines, reflecting on how they will work in practice and iterate based on feedback.
How to get involved
