Gender Justice and Freedom of Expression: From Public Spaces to Digital Platforms and Facial Recognition Technologies

Abstract

In this submission, I discuss how women in the public sphere, including women journalists, human rights defenders, politicians, and activists face many challenges in exercising their freedom of expression and opinion across the globe. Both online and in public spaces in our cities, which are increasingly surveilled and monitored by government and law enforcement agencies, women face challenges. In this submission, I invite the UN Special Rapporteur to: 1) Call on the UN bodies to enhance their understanding of theory intersectionality. I have recently proposed a way to enhance judicial interpretation of re-conceptualizing by reference to a modified concept of “harmful cultural practices”. 2) Call for a ban (or at least a suspension) on the use of facial recognition technology by governments pending independent scrutiny of the discriminatory impacts the technology may have against women and other protected groups. 3) Call for the development of binding international human rights law for private actors to remedy the violations of freedom of expression of women and LGBTI communities in the digital environment.