Russia

The Asia Pacific Internet Governance Forum just completed in July 2019 and it took place in Russia. There were very few sessions that dealt with either gender or human rights and none that addressed sexuality. At one session there were discussions on the ICT related-laws and particularly on the broad and unclear provisions that deal with online censorship.

Across Brazil, Bulgaria, Poland and at the international level there is a vicious and concerted attempt to dilute the language around gender in policy and UN mechanisms which targets any gains in gender equality, advocates exclusion of LGBTIQ people and restrictions on sexual and reproductive rights. The attack on gender is real and here, what are we going to do about it?

The GISWatch report 2016 looks at the link between economic, social, cultural (ESC) rights and the internet in several countries, and from a multitude of systems of governance, whether that of socialism and the welfare state, or the semi-functional welfare schemes in parts of Asia and Africa (Uganda, Cambodia), and even the relatively privileged parts of the world, like Spain. Here is a synthesis…