Violence against women has historically been a widespread issue and has evolved in many ways following societal norms. As these norms evolve, so does violence, takes on different forms. How is the EU doing to help combat this violence? Violence against women (VAW) is recorded defined as a manifestation of men's domination and unequal power over women to silence their voices, control their bodies and sexuality with the objective of “keeping them in their place” as described by the European Women’s Lobby report (EWL).[1] Technology has furthered the evolution of VAW creating Cyber Violence against women (CVAW); this is a problem yet to be sufficiently addressed.

The current players in this fight are big tech companies such as Google, Apple and Microsoft. The accusations brought against them involve failing to protect “at risk groups” on various social media platforms.[2] Some tech companies even aim to profit from male-centric rhetoric while denying that they are in fact responsible for the damage done.[3] The content pushed by these tech giants are then pushed out to internet users. This may influence people’s perceptions and behaviors. With the current limited legislation lax regulation, it is challenging for victims of these acts to be compensated or prove that the crime happened in the first place.

The rapid development of technology and the mainstreaming of adult content has exacerbated these issues. The EWL also emphasizes the introduction of AI as a tool to perpetuate these cultural norms.[4] Often the content created is hyper realistic making it difficult to judge its authenticity. These AI models can also be used to create VR fakes and other content depicting the victim. It’s critical to understand that this material can then be distributed without the consent of the victim. This has been primarily seen in the pornography industry where the very business model is objectification of women's bodies and the promotion of damaging stereotypes. The latter half will be discussed in the context of Big Tech later in the article.[5] It is worth noting that, with the spread of someone's personal information without their expressed consent, this is a direct violation of GDPR. Often time porn websites depict egregious and illegal action standardizing male violence against women, further objectifying women as a sexual conquest and something men are entitled too. These sites depict women and sometimes girls being sexually assaulted, raped and even tortured.[6]

As someone who grew up in a sexually conservative town with an even more conservative school, I find it extremely important to note that many young people often are looking to use pornography as educational material. Often due to a school systems lackluster sex ed classes promoting more of a “figure it out yourself” approach. What are young women supposed to take away from the material on a porn sight? What are young men supposed to think?[7] This incredibly toxic environment set by the industry drastically shapes people's perception of what a sexual relationship looks like, this can also bleed into any aspect of life altering perception of gender dynamics. This begs the question, so how and what is the EU doing to combat this kind of violence against women?

The EU has already taken big steps to combat CVAW/VAW, one of the more well-known components of the 2011 Istanbul convention. This created a Group of Experts on Actions against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO). This international committee is composed of 39 European countries and has been ratified by the EU in 2023. The EU has a long way to go in terms of dealing with gender-based violence. However, there is pushback against big tech companies with the EU issuing millions of euros worth in fines to big tech companies for violations of privacy and breach of data. With Commissioner Von der Leyen starting her second term as President of the Commission, she vowed it a goal of her administration to significant decrease gender-based violence and combat the forces that perpetuate it.[8] She intends to do this by closing pay gaps, enforcing a new approach to the mainstreaming of gender and heavily challenging gender stereotypes.[9] This is a part of a new widespread EU proposal to combat violence against women and domestic violence put forth in 2022. While many in the EU remain optimistic it’s hard to tell whether the policy shift will have anything more than an immediate effect, shying away from a more permanent change, as is needed.[10] 

Mackenzie Calitri is a junior at American University focusing on international relations.

Bibliography

European Commission. “Gender Equality Strategy.” commission.europa.eu, March 5, 2020. https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/gender-equality/gender-equality-strategy_en.

EWL. “On Cyber against Report Violence Women POLICY OVERVIEW and RECOMMENDATIONS.” EWL, 2024.

Calitri, Mackenzie. “Google Docs: Sign-In.” Google.com, 2024. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x2-b7G2-wFnj4TvrH3sUYFlQIiiVuQYUrGVjwsr7z6A/edit?usp=sharing.

Methven O’Brien, Claire, Rikke Jørgensen, and Benn Finlay. “TECH GIANTS and HUMAN RIGHTS: INVESTOR EXPECTATIONS 2021,” n.d. https://www.humanrights.dk/files/media/document/Tech giants and human rights_2021.pdf.

EDF. “EU Directive on Combating Violence against Women: Specific Improvements on Disability - European Disability Forum.” European Disability Forum, May 15, 2024. https://www.edf-feph.org/eu-directive-on-combating-violence-against-women-specific-improvements-on-disability/.

[1] EWL. “On Cyber against Report Violence Women POLICY OVERVIEW and RECOMMENDATIONS.” EWL, 2024.

[2] Methven O'brien, Claire, Rikke Jørgensen, and Benn Finlay. “TECH GIANTS and HUMAN RIGHTS: INVESTOR EXPECTATIONS 2021,” n.d.

[3] Calitri, Mackenzie. “Notes on the Report on Cyber Violence.” Google Docs, 2024.

[4]  Calitri, Mackenzie. “Notes on the Report on Cyber Violence.” Google Docs, 2024.

[5] Ibid Combatting Violence against Women, 2024, Pg 29-31.

[6] Ibid Et Al

[7] Ibid Et Al

[8] European Commission. “Gender Equality Strategy.” commission.europa.eu, March 5, 2020.

[9] Ibid Et Al

[10] Ibid Et Al