The Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has approved the draft resolution “Eliminating Gender Stereotypes in the Media.” The news was announced by the author of the resolution, Ukrainian Member of Parliament and member of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE, Yevheniia Kravchuk, on her Facebook page.
The decision was adopted during a meeting of the PACE Committee in Athens.
The draft resolution addresses not only the representation of women in the media, but also the broader impact of gender stereotypes on women’s participation in political and public life. Particular attention is given to the ways in which gender stereotypes contribute to online violence, discrimination, and disinformation.
Key provisions of the draft resolution include:
- combating sexist hate speech, digital violence, and the use of deepfake content;
- increasing transparency of social media algorithms and content moderation practices;
- promoting media literacy and critical thinking;
- improving the representation of women in the media, politics, sports, and culture.
An important stage in the preparation of the document was a fact-finding mission to Ireland, during which the rapporteur held meetings with representatives of civil society, regulatory bodies, and technology companies.
According to Yevheniia Kravchuk, the resolution also drew on the expertise and work of Women in Media NGO. “I would also like to thank the Ukrainian NGO Women in Media, whose expertise and work helped strengthen the section on online attacks, disinformation, and the digital harassment of women journalists and activists during the war,” the Member of Parliament noted.
“For us, it is important that the challenges faced by Ukrainian women journalists in the digital space are being recognized at the level of the Council of Europe. Online violence, gendered disinformation, and digital harassment are not isolated incidents — they affect freedom of expression, women’s participation in public life, and the safety of journalistic work. We are grateful to Yevheniia Kravchuk for ensuring that the experience and expertise of Ukrainian civil society were taken into account in the preparation of this resolution,” said Liza Kuzmenko, Head of Women in Media NGO.
The next step will be the consideration and vote on the resolution during the June session of PACE in Strasbourg.