Six key points to understand the new Inter American Model Law on Digital Violence against Women

The Inter-American Model Law to Prevent, Punish, and Eradicate Gender-Based Digital Violence against Women was developed by the Committee of Experts of the MESECVI, the technical body that monitors implementation of the Belém do Pará Convention and advances regional standards on women’s rights. After a consultation process in several countries with participation from States, experts, and civil society organisations, the Model Law was approved in December 2025 during the Tenth Conference of States Parties and the Twenty-Second Meeting of the Committee of Experts, held in Fortaleza.

This instrument provides guidance for building comprehensive and coherent responses based on human rights and grounded in multi-stakeholder participation. It recognises that digital violence is part of the continuum of violence that affects women, adolescents, and girls in differentiated and disproportionate ways, and it establishes obligations for both States and digital platforms and internet intermediaries, promoting transparency, shared responsibility, and the reduction of technological gaps.

1. Digital violence is expanding rapidly and deepening existing inequalities

The growing digitalisation of daily life has increased the number and types of spaces where gender-based violence occurs. Women and girls face harassment, surveillance, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, deepfakes, identity theft, hate speech, and online political violence. These practices cause multiple harms and affect rights related to privacy, public participation, access to opportunities, and safety. The Model Law is grounded in the recognition that these acts are human rights violations that exacerbate structural inequalities.

2. The Model Law offers the first comprehensive regional framework to understand and address digital violence

The Inter-American instrument defines digital violence and recognises essential digital rights such as control over one’s own image, data protection, anonymity, freedom of expression, and access to justice. It establishes guidance for preventing, protecting against, investigating, punishing, and repairing digital violence, and it informs public policies and legislative reforms based on human rights standards. It also incorporates principles of digital governance, international cooperation, and shared responsibility among States, the private sector, and civil society.

3. The approach combines State obligations with clear responsibilities for digital platforms

The response to digital violence is not limited to criminal law. The Model Law requires States to act with heightened due diligence, guarantee urgent protection measures, investigate with adequate technical capacity, ensure preservation of digital evidence, and provide holistic reparation and support for victims. At the same time, it defines responsibilities for digital platforms, including transparency in content moderation, accessible reporting mechanisms, timely removal of violent or non-consensual material, and cooperation with authorities. This design seeks to avoid disproportionate measures such as generalised censorship or mass surveillance, prioritising responses aligned with human rights standards.

4. Equality Now helped shape the content of the Model Law from its early stages

Equality Now participated actively in the consultations conducted by the MESECVI and contributed technical inputs based on our comparative experience in legislative reform, strategic litigation, and international human rights standards. In our submission to the MESECVI in collaboration with the Regional Alliance for Freedom of Expression and Information, we highlighted the need to balance protection and freedom of expression, adopt a strong intersectional approach, and include specific obligations for both States and technology platforms. We also underscored the differentiated risks faced by Indigenous, Afro-descendant, young, and LGBTIQ+ women, as well as women journalists and human rights defenders, and women with disabilities.

A central component of our engagement was ensuring the participation of diverse voices in the regional consultations. We facilitated the involvement of experts and representatives from civil society organisations working at the grassroots level that are part of the Belém do Pará Coalition, helping ensure that the discussions reflected experiences, contexts, and challenges that are often excluded from institutional processes.

5. The effectiveness of the Model Law will depend on political commitment, adequate resources, and social participation

The adoption of the Model Law ushers in a phase that requires concrete action. States will need to integrate it into legislative processes, adjust regulatory frameworks, allocate sufficient budgets, and strengthen institutional capacities, including specialised units, forensic laboratories with a gender perspective, and mandatory training for justice operators. Rigorous data collection, national diagnostics, and multisectoral coordination mechanisms with binding participation of women’s rights and digital rights organisations will also be essential. The MESECVI has a key role in ensuring regional coherence, establishing common standards, and monitoring progress.

Civil society will remain a central actor, pushing for strategic litigation, advocating for compliance by States and platforms, supporting survivors, disseminating clear and accessible information about the Model Law and its implications, and strengthening the capacities of organisations and communities to identify, document, and report digital violence. Implementation of the Model Law creates an opportunity to improve protection for women and girls in digital environments and to advance toward more democratic and accountable forms of digital governance.

6. The Model Law connects with global initiatives and offers a useful reference for other regions

The Model Law is part of a broader international debate on how to protect the rights of women and girls in digital environments. Its content aligns with global frameworks such as the Budapest Convention, the UN Cybercrime Convention, the UN Secretary General’s report on violence online, and regulations like the European Digital Services Act. It also converges with discussions at the Internet Governance Forum and with initiatives led by the African Union, the Commonwealth, and ASEAN. In addition, it aligns with ongoing multilateral processes, such as the United Nations Global Digital Compact, adopted in 2024 as part of the Pact for the Future, which sets out shared principles for digital governance and the protection of human rights in digital environments.

Its comprehensive and intersectional approach offers a relevant reference point for other regions, especially at a time when many responses replicate excessive surveillance, overregulation, or disproportionate punitive measures. The Model Law adds to global debates on algorithmic transparency, corporate accountability, data protection, and international cooperation in the face of harms that transcend technological and geographic borders.

For Equality Now, this instrument creates a solid platform for demanding concrete commitments and contributes an Inter-American standard that can help inform global conversations on how to build digital ecosystems that are safer, more inclusive, and consistent with the rights of women and girls.