'Emerging Threats Against Women and Girls in the Digital Era: Artificial Intelligence and Gaslighting’

‘Emerging Threats Against Women and Girls in the Digital Era: Artificial Intelligence and Gaslighting’

Join us at the 34th Session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) for a powerful side event: ‘Emerging Threats Against Women and Girls in the Digital Era: Artificial Intelligence and Gaslighting’.

Taking place on 21 May, from 16:30 to 17:30 CEST, this timely discussion addresses urgent digital-age dangers. Organised by Soroptimist International and the Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO), the event will explore how AI-driven threats and digital abuse—when combined with psychological manipulation such as gaslighting—pose escalating risks to women and girls.

Join us by registering on Zoom.

Thirty years after the Fourth World Conference on Women, achieving full equality for all women and girls is more critical than ever. The ongoing global polycrisis, the rising pushback against the human rights of women and girls, and the evolving digital landscape necessitate renewed efforts to urgently address the escalating discrimination and violence against women and girls, both online and offline.

Experts estimate that 1 in 3 women will experience violence in their lifetime, although most cases go unreported. Violence against women and girls (VAWG) affects individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and nationalities. The abusive use of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), is one of the many root causes of VAWG.

Artificial Intelligence

Today, creating fake videos using AI is nearly as easy as posting on social media. Often, women and girls fall victim to harassment or online abuse, which can lead to profound emotional suffering, adverse health impacts, and, in some cases, physical harm. This can discourage women from participating, speaking up, pursuing public roles, or advocating for women’s issues. AI introduces a new level of risk due to its vast scalability, increasing its global threat to all women and girls in every aspect of their lives.

So, how do we confront this serious threat?

We will present five actionable measures that can make a real difference in protecting women and girls from AI-enabled harassment and violence. These solutions focus on stronger penalties, raising awareness, improving AI literacy, empowering women and girls, and providing victim support, even through AI.

Gaslighting

Gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse or manipulation in which the abuser seeks to instil self-doubt and confusion in their victim, causing them to question their sanity, memories, or perception of reality. This can occur online, through AI, or in person. It is often employed by abusive individuals, manipulating and using deception to isolate a partner and convince them they are experiencing mental illness. Gaslighting can lead to victim-blaming and even suicide. Public awareness about the methods and motives behind gaslighting is urgently needed.

This side event will discuss how states and other UN stakeholders must utilize their diplomatic tools to address this threat, as it is high time to develop and implement solutions on a global scale. The global community must urgently address these threats to control, monitor, and eliminate them, creating a world free from emerging forms of discrimination, harassment, exploitation, and violence that impact all women and girls.

Speakers

Moderator: Dr. Martina Gredler is a Medical Doctor, Doctor of Dental Surgery, 2nd Vice President of CoNGO, Soroptimist International Representative to the UN in Vienna, former Member of the Austrian Parliament, former Member of the European Parliament, and court expert since 2000.

Introductory Remarks: SI President Siew Yong Gnanalingam. President Siew Yong is the first Asian woman elected President of Soroptimist International (2024–2025). A pioneer in PR and communications, she held senior roles at Malaysia Airlines and founded Malaysia’s first Ayurvedic centre. She has led multiple Soroptimist campaigns, including ‘Walk the Talk – Stop Violence Against Women’. She currently serves on several boards championing women’s leadership and education.

Gail Dekreon is a semi-retired Superior Court Judge in San Francisco, California who has dealt with issues of cyber security. As a longtime advocate for women’s rights, Gail is knowledgeable about the implications these issues may have on the lives of women and girls.

Dr. Julia Zukrigl is an AI transformation expert and Managing Director of the DATA story LAB, which aims to make artificial intelligence (AI) understandable and tangible for people and organisations. She is also co-founderof the non-profit do-tank Women in AI Austria, an expert network that promotes the empowerment and participation of women in the ethical design and use of AI.

Shaleen Wanjiru Njoki is a journalist, digital media professional and Soroptimist International Youth Representative to the United Nations. Shaleen is passionate about addressing the role of artificial intelligence in perpetuating violence against women and girls, advocating for stronger digital safeguards and ethical tech practices to protect vulnerable communities.

Marlene Capra is the Founder and Executive Director of SpeakSAFE: Save Adolescents from Exploitation, an organisation committed to funding and implementing collaborative initiatives that provide preventative education including the threats which cybercrimes and Artificial Intelligence pose. She launched and now leads a youth team of over 40 high school and college students who advocate and educate their peers, parents and educators about these threats across the Bay Area of California.

Linda Witong is a retired prosecutor who is currently an Advocacy Advisor for Soroptimist International, as well as a Board member on the Board of the Alliance of NGOs in Vienna. Linda is a recipient of the Outstanding Prosecutor Award and was recently inducted into the Marin County Women’s Hall of Fame where she received special recognition for her work on a local, regional and international basis by the US Congress, California Senate and the Marin County Supervisors in February of 2024.