The resolution reads: "....The Human Rights Council, reaffirming the obligation of all States to respect, protect and fulfil all human rights and fundamental freedoms and reaffirming that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online. Taking note with appreciation also of the report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression on the use of encryption and anonymity in digital communications, recognising that digital technologies can play an important role in empowering women and girls to exercise all human rights, equal and effective participation in political, economic, cultural and social life..."

The Resolution strongly condemns all acts of violence against women and girls involved in political and public life, including women parliamentarians, political candidates, journalists and human rights defenders. It also expresses concern at institutional and structural discrimination against women and girls, such as laws, policies, regulations, programmes, administrative procedures or structures, services and practices that directly restrict equal access to digital technologies hindering their empowerment.

It also reads: "Recognising that multi-jurisdictional and transnational nature of violence against women and girls in digital contexts avoid detection and investigation call for active cooperation among different actors, including States and their law enforcement and judicial authorities and private actors."

As such, it calls upon States to take immediate and effective actions to prevent all forms of violence against women and girls in digital context by ensuring they are able to exercise the right to freedom of opinion and expression online and offline without discrimination and do not experience violence or threats of violence while exercising this right.

Also, calls for enacting and enforcing the necessary legislative or other measures in cooperation with relevant stakeholders to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls in digital contexts in order to holding perpetrators to account and combating impunity for all forms of violence, including violence used to intimidate women and girls who are exercising the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

Lastly it obliges States to ensuring that legislation allows for the timely and effective investigation, prosecution, sanction and redress of violence against women and girls in digital contexts.

This is a good message to Bahrain, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates to stop their harassment against women human rights defenders in their online and offline exercise of their fundamental rights.

⇒A_HRC_38_L6