{"id":3445,"date":"2020-10-10T13:59:02","date_gmt":"2020-10-10T05:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/?p=3445"},"modified":"2020-11-11T12:21:38","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T04:21:38","slug":"joint-statement-empower-and-protect-girls-online-joining-forces-statement-on-international-day-of-the-girl-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crcasia.org\/joint-statement-empower-and-protect-girls-online-joining-forces-statement-on-international-day-of-the-girl-child\/","title":{"rendered":"[Joint Statement] EMPOWER AND PROTECT GIRLS ONLINE: Joining Forces\u2019 Statement on International Day of the Girl Child"},"content":{"rendered":"

This Joint Statement was originally posted on the World Vision website.<\/a><\/p>\n

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10 October 2020<\/p>\n

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed new challenges and worsened already existing ones. Besides the more visible and evident forms of violence[1]<\/a>, there is also an increase in the number of girls suffering the brunt of online abuse, and the sharper gender digital divide in Asia, with girls facing more hurdles than boys.[2]<\/a> In celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child, leading child rights agencies in Asia are urging social media companies, governments, and inter-governmental organizations to take urgent steps to empower and protect girls online.<\/p>\n

GENDER DIGITAL DIVIDE<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

Worldwide school closures have affected more than 1.5 billion students \u2013 more than half of whom are in Asia-Pacific<\/em><\/i>[3]<\/a> <\/em><\/i>which could mean that the time they spend online has increased exponentially, heightening their risk for online abuse. However, there are girls in the region who need to access the internet for education, employment, civic participation, social interaction, and other vital information but could not do so due to various reasons including poverty or being expected to help in household chores, more evident during the pandemic, and lower access to technology compared to boys. This gender digital divide remains largest in the world\u2019s least developed countries at 39.2% and is most pronounced in South Asia where women are 26% less likely to own a mobile phone than men. In addition, stereotypes around technology being \u2018for boys\u2019 and fear of being discriminated against stop girls from using digital tools. [4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Without equal access to technology and the internet, girls and young women will have limited opportunity to participate in our ever more digital societies. Digital literacy is also vital for better employment opportunities since most jobs worldwide have digital component.<\/p>\n

ONLINE ABUSE AND HARASSMENT<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

But access should be coupled with protection. Girls should be safe online. Sadly, online abuse is silencing girls according to Plan International\u2019s State of the World\u2019s Girls 2020 report.<\/p>\n

The report, which was based on a research across 31 countries including Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Myanmar, and Nepal with more than 14,000 girls and young women also revealed that more than half of girls surveyed, from around the world, have been harassed and abused online, and one in four girls abused online feels physically unsafe as a result.<\/p>\n

Online harassment and abuse are affecting girls in various ways. Many of them have developed low self-esteem, experience mental or emotional stress, feel physically unsafe, have problems with friends or family and at school, or have trouble to finding a job.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

 \u201cI didn\u2019t understand what was happening,\u201d says Magiting, a Filipina teenager whom neighbors coerced into sexual exploitation that was streamed online. \u201cWhat they were doing was not good and not right. I was scared that somebody would tell the police and I\u2019d be put in jail.\u201d<\/em><\/i><\/h5>\n

Children\u2019s Journey into the World of Commercial Sexual Exploitation, ChildFund Philippines and Psychosocial Support and Children\u2019s Rights Resource Center (March 2019)<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n

Magiting, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, is not alone in her experience. Online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSEC) is growing exponentially every year in many Asian countries. In the Philippines, for example, the government recorded close to 280,000 cases of online sex abuse (so-called cybersex trafficking) against children from March 1 to May 24 this year \u2013 almost four times as many as in 2019. And girl children are more vulnerable due to the existing Philippine laws related to statutory rape, which define the age of consent as low as 12 years[6]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When girls are deprived of access or are afraid of being discriminated against and harassed due to the rising cases of gender-based violence online, they are being pushed to the margins and silenced. States should realize that losing the chance to raise a generation of empowered girls and hear their voices is detrimental to development.<\/p>\n

CALLS TO ACTION<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n

To bridge the gender digital divide and ensure protection of girls online, a strong multi-sectoral cooperation is necessary. In light of this and in celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child, Joining Forces calls on–<\/p>\n

Social media and internet companies to:<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n