Statement by the UNRC in the Kyrgyz Republic, Ms. Antje Grawe at the National Dialogue: “Building a Violence-Free Digital Space in the Kyrgyz Republic”

It is an honor to join you today on behalf of the United Nations system in the Kyrgyz Republic as we launch the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. This year’s campaign theme—UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls—reminds us that digital spaces must be places of connection, opportunity and empowerment, not of harm. The fight for equality increasingly unfolds online, where opportunities can expand overnight, but where harm can spread with equal speed.

This urgency is not abstract. Just last week, the Ministry of Education presented the first large-scale study on violence in schools, revealing deep concerns about harassment, bullying, and coercion in online environments. Many children, especially girls, shared that they are afraid to speak up online or to participate in digital learning spaces due to fear of ridicule or abuse. This shows vividly that our digital platforms, which should support education and engagement, must never become sources of humiliation or intimidation.

The same dynamics continue well beyond school years. Women journalists, activists, entrepreneurs, athletes, public figures—and increasingly adolescent girls—face gendered hate speech, cyberstalking, manipulation, blackmail and threats of sexual violence. When the price of expressing an opinion online is fear, silence becomes a survival tactic. And when women are silenced, societies lose essential voices, leadership, and innovation.

At the commemorative Global Summit of Women Leaders in Beijing that assembled for the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the UN Deputy Secretary-General underscored that technology must amplify girl’s and women’s voices, not suppress them. This is particularly relevant for Kyrgyzstan as the country advances its digital transformation through the Concept of Digital Transformation 2024–2028 and expands e-services via the Tunduk platform.

Yet progress in digital access must also mean progress in digital safety and equality. Kyrgyzstan’s Second Voluntary National Review, presented this summer in New York, confirms important progress in transparency, public services and connectivity, but also makes clear that digital progress has not yet translated into digital safety and equality. 

The VNR also identifies persistent inequalities: women and girls in low-income families, rural areas, or living with disabilities face significantly lower digital skills — and a much higher exposure to online risks. The digital divide is therefore also a protection divide. Too often, abuse remains invisible in legislation, overlooked by platforms, and insufficiently addressed by institutions, leaving survivors unheard and perpetrators unaccountable.

The UN addresses these risks clearly in Kyrgyzstan. Our UN Country Team Plan of Action on Hate Speech identifies misogynistic abuse as one of the most prevalent forms of online hate in the country, disproportionately targeting women who assume public roles or challenge discriminatory norms. In response, among others, through a project supported by the Peacebuilding Fund, we are assisting youth to counter hate speech, disinformation and harmful gender stereotypes in online spaces. This includes promoting media literacy and fostering safe, constructive digital engagement.

These efforts are aligned with the Global Digital Compact, adopted with the Pact for the Future in 2024, which commits all Member States to ensuring that technology-facilitated gender-based violence is prevented, penalized, and effectively addressed and that women and girls can fully and safely participate online. Kyrgyzstan is already demonstrating global leadership. In July this year, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution initiated by Kyrgyzstan on accelerating women’s economic empowerment. Among its priorities is ensuring women’s equal access to digital opportunities and protection from discrimination and harmful practices in online spaces.

This National Dialogue therefore comes at exactly the right moment. It brings together those who shape Kyrgyzstan’s digital future: lawmakers, law enforcement, educators, civil society, technology partners, parents — and young people who know more than anyone what happens online. Each has a critical role to play. Legislation and oversight mechanisms must reflect the digital realities of violence. Survivor services must evolve so that help is accessible for both women and girls wherever abuse occurs. Schools and communities must build the resilience and skills that protect girls before harm takes place. And together, we must send the clear and unequivocal message that no woman and girl should feel compelled to withdraw from the digital world in order to stay safe.

Finally, by making digital spaces safe, Kyrgyzstan also strengthens the foundations of its National Development Program 2030. Ensuring safety and equity online enables every woman and girl to access learning, employment, entrepreneurship, and civic participation. When women are safe online, they are empowered offline, as leaders, innovators, and contributors to the country’s future.

Let us use these 16 Days not only to raise awareness, but to drive meaningful action. The United Nations system stands with you— technically, politically and in full partnership—to ensure that digital transformation becomes a transformation that advances rights, dignity and opportunity for all.

Thank you.