On January 27, Women in Media participated in the UN Working Group’s Regional Consultations on AI and gender equality, addressing discrimination against women and girls. These consultations are being held as part of preparations for the thematic report of the UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls to the UN Human Rights Council, which will be presented in June 2026. The conclusions from regional meetings will form the basis of recommendations for states, international organizations, and tech-sector companies.
Participation in the consultations continued Women in Media’s systematic work on documenting technology-facilitated gender-based violence against women journalists (TFGBV), particularly in wartime conditions and amid the growing role of algorithmic systems in spreading disinformation and attacks.
Participants discussed numerous issues related to violations of women’s rights through the use of AI technologies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Representatives of civil society organizations, media outlets, and research centers shared experience and case studies concerning the protection of women’s rights when crossing borders and obtaining refugee status, identity checks during detention, safeguarding the rights of women political prisoners, and women’s access to professional activity in the AI sector.
Women in Media joined the discussion by presenting research findings on the impact of AI on the rights of women journalists in Ukraine. During the consultations, experts emphasized the rise in AI-amplified online attacks, as well as infrastructure and systemic problems that hinder an adequate response to such incidents. In particular, they referred to:
- attacks on women journalists and their family members involving deepfakes that were distributed and amplified by platform algorithms, including cases related to deepfakes targeting Olha Butko and Olena Mudra;
- a significant gap in pay and women’s representation in decision-making during the development of AI policy in Ukraine, where access to such processes is predominantly held by men;
- difficulties in communicating with online platforms in incidents involving the use of AI to spread or amplify gender-based violence;
- the absence of an adequate legislative and regulatory framework that would provide effective response mechanisms — including the option of going to court, applying to regulatory bodies, or obtaining other adequate remedies.
Consultation participants stressed that any approach must reflect regional contexts and the uneven pace of advanced technology regulation across countries. These specific features should serve as the starting point for shaping international policies and global AI standards — with proper accountability mechanisms in place for technology developers and deployers, and with a gender-sensitive approach applied at all stages of the AI system lifecycle.
The results of the regional consultations are expected to be consolidated by the Working Group and used to draw up recommendations on regulating the digital space and AI with due regard for the rights of women and girls, including in countries with different levels of democratic and legal institutions.