Due diligence and accountability for online violence against women

This paper explores what online violence against women is; what can be done to stem and ultimately eliminate it; and whose responsibility it is to do so. It does this by building upon the issues identified in two research projects, namely the research on state accountability to eliminate violence against women by the Due Diligence Project (DDP) and the research on corporate and state remedies for dealing with online violence against women by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).

The paper outlines women’s experiences in accessing justice; identifies and describes the issues, actors and stakeholders; the role of the state as well as private sector actors; existing mechanisms; application of international human rights law; and good or promising practices in this context. It concludes with recommendations.

The author, Zarizana Abdul Aziz, is a human rights lawyer and the director of the Due Diligence Project, and co-developed the Due Diligence Framework on State Accountability for Eliminating Violence against Women.

This issue paper forms part of the APC project “Building feminist cross-movement collaboration and action on internet and human rights in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean”, funded by the Ford Foundation.