TFGBV Priorities Document - Pacific TFGBV priorities nominated by participants.
Event Programme (event held 12-14 September 2023): https://bit.ly/3P6u77y
Pacific approaches to address Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV)
In a first for the Pacific, the regional ‘Safe and Equal Online Spaces – Pacific Cyber Safety Symposium’ brought together key stakeholders from across the region working to address online safety particularly technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
This built on the digital age theme of the 67th Commission on the Status of Women in 2023 and its CSW67 Agreed Outcomes, while also advancing online safety priorities in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the now revitalised Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Gender Equality Declaration. Details about the event are available in the Concept Note: Safe and Equal Online Spaces - A Pacific Cyber Safety Symposium
Of the 130 in-person participants, in the event’s closing Evaluation Survey, 98% stated they had increased their level of knowledge about TFGBV (either agreeing or strongly agreeing), while 99% confirmed they now ‘understand the key priorities to address TFGBV’ in the Pacific.
The key priorities to address TFGBV in the Pacific were nominated by participants and captured in the event’s final Priorities Document. Post event, the Priorities Document was circulated to participants several times and two follow-up webinars were held to ensure the final list correctly reflected the priorities raised directly by participants. This final document was formally released December 2023, and divided into two key sections:
- Shared Priorities – the top 5 regionally (common across countries)
- Country Priorities – nominated by participants from their respective country.
About the symposium
The ‘Safe and Equal Online Spaces – Pacific Cyber Safety Symposium’ was held from 12-14 September 2023 in Suva, Fiji, convened by the Pacific Community (SPC) through its Pacific Women Lead at SPC (PWL at SPC) programme, in partnership with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, and supported by the Australian Government. As a member of the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP), SPC collaborated with other CROP partners: the University of the South Pacific (USP) as Chair of the CROP ICT Working Group; and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) as lead of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.
Situation analysis in the Pacific
The issue of cyber security and ensuring safety and security at the community level are regional priorities as detailed in Strategic Focus Areas Five of the Boe Declaration Action Plan and in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent under the thematic areas of ‘Peace and Security’ and ‘Technology and Connectivity’ (pages 21 and 29, respectively).
In the region, there is an increase in internet access for Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) and a proliferation of access for people via smartphones and other devices. Fifteen years ago, it was unexpected that small countries such as Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Republic of the Marshall Islands would have submarine cable.
There is limited Pacific-specific research, information and data available about technology-facilitated gender-based violence in PICTs. Organisations working in this space indicate there is extensive anecdotal information that, just as violence against women and girls is a critical issue in the Pacific (with some countries having twice the global rates of intimate partner violence), so too is TFGBV.
While there are positive examples of programs in the Pacific aiming to improve online safety for young people, there is limited data about the online experiences of Pacific children and young people online. The risks of online abuse are significant for young people who are more prone to be affected by bullying, peer pressure, and unrealistic perceptions of how other people live. Global research indicates that young adults aged 18-29 are most likely to experience online harassment.
Background
The emergence of digital technologies has the potential to foster economic growth, increase education and employment opportunities, and elevate voices that are often left behind. However, it also provides spaces for the perpetration of harm at all levels, from individuals to communities and nations. While evidence on the impacts of increased connectivity in the region is limited, anecdotal reports indicate that for children, online harms including cyberbullying and child sexual exploitation and abuse are increasing. Similarly for gender-based violence, experiences of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including image-based abuse, online misogyny, and adult cyber abuse are being reported at increased rates.
Many projects are now addressing the need for online safety, in various forms. There is an opportunity to bring these Pacific-based projects together to share information, manage knowledge, seek potential collaborations and other opportunities. This also highlights a growing opportunity for collective action across initiatives, funding partners and Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) to specifically address technology facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).