How can we protect ourselves in an online world where women and children are increasingly reduced to targets of abuse?
And what is politically and technically possible — in Germany, Canada, and beyond? The digital world can be dangerous; women and girls are increasingly exposed to online harassment, exacerbated by platforms, algorithms and AI.
As part of the German government’s lecture programme, the German Embassy in Ottawa and the German Consulate General in Vancouver, in collaboration with ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, are organising a digital lecture tour on the topic of "Gender-Based Digital Violence".
This will be a virtual lecture and discussion event, followed by a Q&A session. The event will be held in English.
Franziska Benning, Head of the Legal and Policy Department at HateAid, and Canadian expert Dr. Nasreen Rajani, will each share insights into their work, perspectives, and expectations for the future. Building on this, the discussion will transition into a moderated exchange on possible courses of action, political and technical perspectives, and shared visions.
The event will be moderated by Prof. Dr. Heidi Tworek, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Digital Platforms and Global Information Governance at the University of British Columbia.
Franziska Benning heads the Legal and Policy Department at HateAid. In this position, she appears as an expert in committees of the German Bundestag, oversees strategic litigation supported by HateAid, and represents the organization in dealings with government, politics, and the judiciary. She studied law and international law in Passau, Leuven, and Münster.
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Dr. Nasreen Rajani is a researcher and advocate focused on technologyfacilitated genderbased violence. She centers racialized and Indigenous voices and advises national organizations, such as the the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), on intersectional policy and digital justice.
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Heidi Tworek is a Canada Research Chair and Professor of History and Public Policy at the University of British Columbia, where she directs the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions. While advising governments and publishing on media history, her work explores how new communications technologies affect democracy in the past and present.
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Experts from politics, academia, culture and the media provide up-to-date and multi-faceted information about Germany in lectures and panel discussions. The ifa organises the Federal Government's lecture programme together with the German embassies and consulates abroad. It is aimed at multipliers from civil society in these countries. Find out more on the ifa website.
