Three out of every 10 Mexican women who use the Internet have suffered cyberbullying, which is equivalent to 10 million women, the United Nations office in Mexico reported Wednesday on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
The UN warned in a statement that digital violence “can lead to other forms of violence in the real world,” citing physical, sexual and psychological violence, harassment in the street or at school, stigmatization, isolation, even femicides and suicides.
She also warned that this phenomenon “prevents their full and equal participation in public life and entails serious repercussions in all areas of their lives and in societies in general.”
“Women with a public voice, especially women journalists, communicators and human rights defenders, are exposed to systematic online gender-based violence, including targeted surveillance without judicial authorization,” the agency said.
The United Nations documents that 40 percent of women in Latin America are not connected to the Internet, which represents more than 89 million people.
In Mexico, said the organization, 63 percent of women who do not use the Internet report that the main reason is that they do not have the knowledge to do so.
It also pointed out that in the 2021-2022 school year, only 23.67 percent of the people enrolled in Information and Communication Technology degrees were women.
In this context, the UN exposed that, globally, men are 25 percent more likely to have the knowledge and skills to use technology than women.
“The United Nations calls on all sectors to eliminate the gaps that deprive women and girls of full access to the digital age, and to take action to ensure that technology promotes and facilitates their participation in science, innovation and technological developments,” he urged.
The call comes as Mexico reaches International Women’s Day in the midst of a wave of male violence, with more than 10 women murdered every day, in addition to a historical record of almost 30,000 missing women.
TYT Newsroom
