IT for Change submitted an input to the UN Human Rights B-Tech project in response to its call for inputs on gender, digital tech, and the role of business, using the lens of the United Nations Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) applied from a gender perspective. In our submission, firstly, we highlighted the important to have gender-responsive due diligence practices so that a gender lens is incorporated into due diligence processes of technology companies. To do this, technology companies, particularly, digital platform companies, should define human rights policies with a gender lens, create fair, equitable, and gender-sensitive labor practices, and promote fair digital marketplaces for women.
Secondly, we provided suggestions to overcome gender-related challenges to access remedy from state-based grievance redressal mechanism. These suggestions relate to undertaking legal reforms to combat TFGBV and empower women while safeguarding rights, strengthening law enforcement and judiciary through training and awareness, ensuring swift investigation and accessible remedies for TFGBV survivors, fostering inclusive digital literacy and gender equality across education, and empowering civil society and whistleblowers to hold technology companies accountable for TFGBV and systematic failures.
Thirdly, we provided suggestions to infuse gender-responsiveness in platform-based grievance redressal mechanism. These suggestions relate to ensuring effective and inclusive redressal mechanism for women,enhancing representation and stakeholder engagement for effective TFGBV response on digital platforms, and enhancing human oversight of content moderation decisions.
Finally, we also submitted inputs on the role of civil society in holding technology companies to account for women's human rights violations. To ensure that technology companies uphold human rights, we suggested that, civil society and non-governmental organizations must assume the crucial role of watchdogs, actively monitoring these companies' activities. Several effective methods can be employed to exert pressure on technology companies, including the development and utilization of scorecards and comprehensive reports assessing their conduct. These assessments can act as powerful tools, holding technology companies accountable for their actions.
Read the full submission here.