Day 3 Session 1: Gender and vulnerable groups

Time: 3:00 UTC - 4:30 UTC

Objective: This session invites participants to examine the differentiated impacts of ICT policies on vulnerable groups, with particular attention to the special provisions that seek to protect gender and other marginalised communities in digital spaces. It also encouraged reflection on how vulnerable groups participate in policymaking processes and how rights-based, inclusive strategies can strengthen equity in the ICT environment.

Session plan:

The session will aim to cover questions such as:

• How do issues such as access, safety, and participation in digital spaces vary across gender, class, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, and other identities in the context of Southeast Asia? 
• What are the regulatory frameworks and policies at the international and national level in Southeast Asia that aim to safeguard vulnerable groups? How effective are they in practice? 
• What are the challenges and gaps in the current approach to ICT policy-making in the region with respect to the protection of vulnerable groups?
• What are some strategies to ensure that ICT policy making includes a feminist, intersectional, rights-based approach?

*Reading materials are hyperlinked, please click the text to access

Reading Materials:

• Access denied: Gender digital divide as a form of violence in South and Southeast Asia
• UN Women, Online and ICT -facilitated violence against women and girls during COVID-19
• Statistics of Vulnerable groups and the digital divides in Asia and Pacific: Social development division ESCAP, 2020
• A framework for developing gender-responsive cybersecurity policy

📌 Presentation Slide: