A/HRC/40/35 era, yet some of the most serious forms of violence were prevalent in digital spaces; a misuse of such spaces could replicate or amplify violence experienced offline. 20. Speakers further emphasized that social media around the world was used to subject women human rights defenders to online harassment and abuse. One speaker said that 30 per cent of surveyed women had experienced online abuse and 40 per cent had said that online abuse was misogynistic or sexist in nature. There were also consistent references to the fact that online gender-based violence posed a growing challenge to women’s and girls’ use of the Internet, including for the purposes of political participation, freedom of expression and access to services and information. Speakers concurred that women human rights defenders faced double or multiple discriminations based on their gender and the nature of their work. Several expressed support for women human rights defenders and acknowledged their role as critical in the advancement of women’s and girls’ rights. 21. During the interactive dialogue, a number of questions were raised in relation to the role of States and non-State actors in ensuring safer digital spaces for women human rights defenders. Speakers said that the absence of reporting channels and the lack of adequate protection encouraged the use of digital technologies as tools to attack women human rights defenders. Speakers were clear in condemning any acts, intimidation or harassment against women human rights defenders and agreed that a multifaceted approach was needed, including the removal of barriers, the elimination of gender stereotypes and gendersensitive mainstreaming in policymaking in general. 22. Several speakers referred to the development of comprehensive legal and institutional frameworks for safer digital spaces for women human rights defenders. They suggested, for instance, the establishment of e-safety regulatory organs and multistakeholder working groups, covering sectors such as education, media, culture and justice. Speakers indicated that public-private partnerships were essential to strengthening legal frameworks. It was also recommended that States commit to undertake full-scale reviews of hatred offences and to hold private companies accountable for complicity in violence, and requested that links between the right to privacy and the prevention of gender-based violence online be clearly addressed in legislation. The promotion of consultation with and the full participation of women and girls in the design and implementation of protection and empowerment policies and regulations was also highlighted. 23. Speakers suggested that a preventive approach be adopted to facilitate training, awareness-raising and campaigns, including at the community level, to promote social and behavioural change. Several references were made to the need to incorporate genderresponsive digital literacy in school curricula and materials. 24. Speakers strongly affirmed the need for international regulation to address the gender gaps within the information and communications technology (ICT) sector. Many stated that systematic gender mainstreaming was a prerequisite for sustainable development in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Finally, they stressed the importance of regional and international cooperation for women’s empowerment in line with Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 16 and acknowledged the achievement of gender equality as key to preventing violence against women. D. Responses of panellists and concluding remarks 25. In their responses and observations, the panellists elaborated on how to prevent and contain the phenomenon of online violence against women and fight impunity. Ms. Akiwowo indicated that lack of diversity in the workforce of technology companies had led to the failure of many platforms to take into account the diversity and gender of users. She suggested that Internet intermediaries be more transparent and more diverse in their workforce and follow a code of conduct with high standards. An application launched by the Mayor of London to report online hate crime was also mentioned. Ms. Akiwowo welcomed the idea of introducing digital citizenship education in schools, and especially gender-sensitive digital education for boys. Her organization had spoken to thousands of teenagers about how to be a digital citizen. She added that gender-disaggregated data 5