IWGIA & AIPP Statement to the Commission on the Status of Women 67th Session

This written statement is respectfully submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women in response to the priority theme; Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

This submission outlines the main challenges and opportunities (in relation to the priority theme) facing Indigenous Women and Girls, who make up roughly 2.5% of the global population. Indigenous Women are some of the most poor, marginalised groups, and disproportionately face intersectional discrimination and multiple expressions of violence. It is urgent to challenge and end harassment and violence, discriminatory attitudes and stereotyping based on gender, ethnicity, and Indigenous identity – trends that persist online and offline and are entrenched obstacles to Indigenous women’s equality.

Main challenges for Indigenous Women in relation to innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age include: lack of access to the digital space, lack of online literacy, lack of disaggregated data, lack of data sovereignty, online harassment leading to off-line violence. All of which are described and mentioned in the report of the UN Special Rapporteur of Indigenous Peoples to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/51/28).