Featuring Oreoluwa Ladoja, the following article originally published at Bell Global Justice Institute voices society migrating from the stone age to a fast-paced digital world, and questions if we are ready to understand and preserve our digital rights and digital dignity.
We live in a fast-paced digital world filled with uncanny and data driven competitions on who would emerge with the most innovative solutions for either the healthcare or financial decision models. Taking an in-depth look at the geospatial dashboard of the United Nations Population Fund and the SDG 5.2 metrics, reveals a huge set back that although the Global Innovation Index seems to progress rapidly, a digital divide was exposed when analyzing the Gender Inequality Index. Could it just be the gender inequalities or what other socio-economic factors were contributing to the misuse of technology, caught the interest of a doctorate researcher at the New York Medical College. To excel in our ICT progress, have we fallen several steps backwards in preserving our digital rights and digital dignity but letting the unethical use of internet and technological devices go under the radar?
A synopsis of the original research on technology facilitated violence, conducted by Chandra Pauline Daniel at the New York Medical College provided the qualitative metrics and predictive analytics for the statement “The Digital is Real”. The analysis of SDG 5 and SDG 17 was applied to 122 countries (funded by the United Nations Population Fund). Results proved that there was a huge digital divide and technology related violence from the results of the linear regression applied to the correlation of SDG 5.2 (Proportion of countries which have taken an effort to prevent violence against women and girls) with SDG 17.8.1. (Proportion of individuals using the internet) 1. The STATA 16.1 version software was utilized for this retrospective cross-sectional analysis of data for the year 2021-2022. The impact of COVID-19 added to the increase in the negative use of technology given the spike in the reliance on technology for education, health promotion, financial transactions which tremendously increased the internet usage globally. Although, several studies covered the extent to which technology had connected the world, there was little said about the very fact that the interconnectedness of devices also paved the way for unethical behaviors or control and gender-based violence invading the digital realm. The gender most impacted by the technology facilitated violence were predominantly the women and girls.
A sneak peek into the original research of Daniel, Chandra.P. (2023)2, is a schematic representation (Figure. 1) of the correlation of SDG 5.2 with the usage of internet by gender. A statistically significant negative of use of technology was evident among the male urban population when compared to the female urban population. Globally, there was a high percentage in the misuse of the internet and technology by the male urban population than the rural male population (industrialized and developing countries out of the 122 selected counties from each of the six geographical regions). Countries within the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region indicated the lowest level of digital violence, and it was correlated with an equal percentage of male and female ownership of the internet and mobile cell phones. Economic equality, equal ownership of digital space and customized interventions to improve the gender development index of a country had a statistically significant impact on the ethical use of the internet.
Recommended documents that could be used for gender development programs are the UNFPA’s technical documents “Technology-Facilitated Gender Based Violence: Making All Spaces Safe” 3 and “Guidance on the safe and ethical use of technology” 4
In conclusion, it is the responsibility of each of us reading this article to ensure that we empower our community on the pitfalls in the unethical use of technology which oppresses women and even costs them their lives. From a financial standpoint, each family and community at large receive a setback in their GDP when women’s potential and well-being is suppressed or oppressed. Let us take a stand to protect the digital rights and digital integrity.
According to the United Nations, Human rights apply online just as they do offline. Digital technologies provide new means to exercise human rights, but they are too often also used to violate them. Data protection and privacy issues, digital identity, the use of surveillance technologies, online violence and harassment, are of particular concern5. The National Cybersecurity Strategy (2023) 6 released recently by the White House provided a clear depiction of the need to preserve digital right and dignity as laid out in the words of our President Joe Biden, “Digital connectivity should be a tool that uplifts and empowers people everywhere, not one used for repression and coercion”. In a world racing to increase their ICT score and Global Innovation Index scores, results of Daniel et al., 2023 raised the importance of routing budget allocations toward gender development programs. Countries which had invested in increasing their Gender Development Index scores with joint task forces or coalitions have proved to promote the ethical use of technology alongside strong punitive measures for individuals violating the digital rights or misusing the online platform.
Citations:
1.United Nations (n.d.). Sustainable Development Goals SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals of the United Nations. https://sdg.data.gov/17-8-1/
2. Daniel, Chandra P., "Socio-Economic Determinants of Gender-Based Violence [GBV]: SDG Analytics on the Global GBV Scenario with Special Reference to Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence and Adolescent Birth Rates" (2023). NYMC Student Theses and Dissertations. 63. https://touroscholar.touro.edu/nymc_students_theses/63
3.United Nations Population Fund (2021). Technology Facilitated Gender Based Violence: Making All Spaces Safe. https://www.unfpa.org/publications/technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-making-all-spaces-safe
4.United Nations Population Fund (2022). Guidance on the ethical use of technology to address gender-based violence and harmful practices. https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/UNFPA_SafeEthicalGBVTechGuide_Summary_2023.pdf
5.United Nations Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology (n.d.) Roadmap for digital cooperation to ensure the protection of human rights. https://www.un.org/techenvoy/content/digital-human-rights
6.The White House. (2023). The National Cybersecurity Strategy. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/National-Cybersecurity-Strategy-2023.pdf
Chandra Pauline Daniel PhD., DrPH., is a Public Health Expert and a Research Scientist with a cutting-edge international experience stemming from India, Africa, Switzerland and the United States of America. She currently works as a Research Consultant for the United Nations Population Fund [UNFPA]- Western Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO), addressing the sexual and reproductive healthcare services for vulnerable populations living in the humanitarian settings of Western Central Africa.
She has over a decade of experience in the field of Public Health and currently serves as the Global Goals Ambassador (2020-2021 & 2023-2024 cohort), representing the United Nations Association-USA and the United Nation for SDG#17. She has served in this capacity actively implementing the goals of the United Nations, advocating and enhancing partnerships via the UNA-USA platform. Her primary mission is to accelerate partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals through her innovative public-health solutions layered with a multisectoral approach.
She is the recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award and a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. She obtained her Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) from the New York Medical College, Specializing in Health Policy and Management and holds a PhD in Nutrition and Infectious Diseases from the University of Madras. Her contribution to a global document was acknowledged by the United Nations Population Fund titled ‘Making All Spaces Safe: Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence’.
She is the Founder and former President of the United Nations Association (UNA) club of the New York Medical College (2021-2023) where she also worked part-time as a Peer-Learning Partner providing academic support to doctoral students. Her prior work experiences include working for the World Health Organization, HIDTA-Drug Enforcement Administration (An initiative funded by The White House, Office of the National Drug Control Policy), the, the Black Health Inc. (New York) and the United Nations Population Fund.
She is currently on the ‘5G impacts on Cybersecurity’ Research Team of the Public-Private Analytic Exchange Program (AEP 2018-2024), under the leadership of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-Office of Intelligence and Analysis-Private Sector Engagement and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. As a Delegate for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), she will be representing the United Nations Association-USA, at the United Nations headquarters in March 2024. Join Dr. Daniel in her mission and pursuit to build meaningful partnerships to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
Keep an eye for the entire manuscript of the original research of Daniel, Chandra.P., (2023) 6 on the socioeconomic determinants of gender-based violence: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) analytics on Technology Facilitate GBV and Adolescent Birth Rates. The research is soon to be released by Springer Nature Discover Social Science and Health. The depth of the problem of TF GBV exposes the extent to which it impacts our digital rights and digital dignity. Let us stand up and empower our community to be aware of TF GBV and take mitigation measures to prevent any form of violence in our digital world.
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