Every November 25th, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we renew our commitment to the fight against gender-based violence. At TEDIC, we emphasize that digital violence is real and disproportionately affects women and gender-diverse people.
This 2024, we joined forces with communities of women to share experiences and collaborate in building a path towards gender equality. The spaces for reflection and collective action organized around November 25 march highlighted the urgent need to address the challenges we face against the various forms of digital violence.
Through this blog, we invite you to relive with us the moments shared with diverse communities of women during the activities organized in observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Discussion and Poster Minga at FACSO-UNA
On November 22, the Faculty of Social Sciences of the National University of Asuncion hosted the event “Juntas, libres y sin miedo”, in which TEDIC and Kuña Sorora participated as guest organizations.The event, led by the student organization Sununu, included a discussion and a minga to create posters for the November 25 march, with the goal of reflecting on and taking action towards the elimination of gender-based violence.
During the conversation, Lía Rodríguez, head of community, presented safety tools and facilitated a discussion on the importance of protecting our rights in the digital environment. Kuña Sorora also shared information about the protection system in situations of violence. The event culminated with a minga for creating posters, a creative moment in which participants crafted slogans and messages to take to the November 25 march.
Collaboration with the Ministry of Women
As part of our initiatives, Pamela Peralta, gender and technology coordinator, participated in a collaborative video with the Ministry of Women and the Inter-institutional Roundtable for the Prevention of Violence against Women (PREVIM). Under the slogan “Unidas por la Paz, Juntos y Juntas contra la Violencia” the PREVIM Board carried out an awareness campaign to reflect, take action, and not remain indifferent to violence. This material conveyed a clear message about the need for collective action to eliminate different forms of violence, while emphasizing that digital violence is real and that we must protect ourselves in the virtual environment. The video was shared extensively on social media, helping to raise awareness and educate the community about women’s rights.
From Social Media to the Streets: A Campaign in Action
To amplify our message, we collaborated with influencers who shared their experiences of gender-based digital violence and spread our content within their communities to extend the campaign’s reach.
We also launched a public advertising campaign titled “Digital violence is real” to reach diverse audiences and ensure that the message is widely disseminated.
At TEDIC, we know that the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is just the starting point. Our commitment is to continue fighting, educating, and empowering so that all women and gender-diverse people can live without fear, both in physical spaces and online. Our goal is to influence public policies against digital violence, with an inter-institutional perspective of prevention and mitigation. We focus not only on a punitive approach, but on building strategies that address this phenomenon comprehensively. For us, confronting gender-based violence also involves examining situations that remain hidden or neglected, such as digital gender-based violence, that is, the reproduction of macho culture in digital environments, which is even further intensified through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
International Seminar on Feminism in Local Communities
As part of the November 25 activities, the National Coordinator of Peasant and Indigenous Women (CONAMURI) organized a training day to empower women from various regions of the country. During this event, TEDIC offered a digital security workshop for the leaders of the organization.
During the workshop, we addressed strategies to identify and mitigate online risks, focusing on the importance of privacy, consent and prevention of unauthorized dissemination of images. Our head of community, Lía Rodríguez, led the sessions, promoting the digital empowerment of participants and strengthening their capacity to be agents of change in defending their digital rights.
Plenary Sessions of the Articulación Feminista del Paraguay
TEDIC is part of the Articulación Feminista del Paraguay, a platform of organizations and activists committed to the defense of women’s rights and gender equality. This network of women and gender-diverse individuals allows us to coordinate collective actions, such as press conferences and marches in Asunción.
Between September and November, we participated in the plenary sessions of the Articulación, which served as key discussion spaces for defining and shaping the content and demands to be included in the manifesto read at the November 25 march in Asunción. During these sessions, we contributed to the debate on digital violence, emphasizing it as one of the main issues that remains largely invisible today.
Teamwork was key to take to the streets and reaffirm that the fight against digital violence is part of building a fairer society. Each action of the day, from the content of the manifesto to the work of the artistic, finance, communication and security teams, was made possible thanks to the collective effort. Together we made the march a safe and inclusive space to raise our voices.
We marched together because digital violence is real
In the November 25 march we gathered in Plaza Uruguaya. TEDIC raised its voice under the slogan “Digital violence is real”, alongside a group of volunteers carrying posters and signs with powerful messages. These messages shed light on the issue of online gender discrimination, denouncing forms such as threats, cyberbullying, identity theft, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, among others. In this sense, digital violence reflects the same social problems that exist in non-digital environments and extends beyond the internet, directly affecting the bodies and mental health of those who suffer from it.
During the march, we handed out fans with digital safety guides, reinforcing the importance of protecting our rights in the virtual environment. It was a day full of energy, unity and determination, where our voices resounded loudly, demanding real change towards a more inclusive and just society.
This fight is collective, and only together can we move towards a safer, fairer, and more equal environment for all people.
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