Fortaleza, Brazil – A pivotal regional conference has culminated in the adoption of a comprehensive legal framework designed to confront the escalating crisis of digital gender-based violence across Latin America and the Caribbean. The Tenth Conference of States Parties to the Follow-up Mechanism of the Belém do Para Convention, a significant gathering of regional leaders, served as the platform for this critical development.
The conference, focused exclusively on legislation and policies to counter online abuse targeting women, convened a high-level assembly of government ministers, directors of national gender affairs agencies, international development representatives, and civil society advocates. A central feature of the event was a high-level panel discussion titled ‘From commitment to implementation: Pathways to Apply the model law on digital violence against women’.
Mr. Jamie Saunders, Executive Director of the Directorate of Gender Affairs, contributed to the panel, providing expert analysis on the manifestations and impacts of digital violence in the region. He was joined by distinguished figures including Ingrid Gomez Saracibar, Deputy Secretary for the Right of a Life Free from Violence from Mexico’s Women’s Secretariat; Ana Carolina Querino, Acting Representative of UN Women in Brazil; and a representative from the regional advocacy group Hiperderecho.
The cornerstone achievement of the meeting was the formal adoption of an Inter-American model law. This pioneering legal instrument provides a robust blueprint for member states to prevent, punish, and ultimately eradicate technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The framework empowers nations to adapt and enact tailored legislation within their own jurisdictions, marking a unified regional step toward creating safer digital environments for women and girls.