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• Women activists and human rights defendershave been victims of threats and aggression usingICTs. This situation has been reported and recordedby the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rights in Colombia. Ina 2010 report, the High Commissioner reported:“In 2009, our office in Colombia observed an increasein the number of death threats and intimidationsthrough emails and pamphlets againsthuman rights defenders, social and communityleaders and other marginalised groups” (DocumentA/HRC/13/72, paragraph 23). 13• Women activists and human rights defendersand NGO, network or movement members havebeen the victims of hackers, phone hacking andspyware or have had their computers stolen.These aggressions are committed to intimidateand threaten women but also to acquire confidentialinformation such as databases with informationabout the victims of the Colombianconflict, claims and court cases, among others.• Adult women have been recorded without theirconsent in sexual activities and later blackmailedor intimidated.• Young women have been incessantly harassedby their partners or ex-partners via mobilephones. There have been cases in which thepartner has installed spyware in the woman’spersonal computer. Unfortunately, most ofthese cases are not reported for lack of confidencein the authorities or because of fear.In addition to these violations, women are alsotypecast in a way that does not favour equitablegender relationships in a country with a strongmacho culture, and with a biased view of beauty,usually westernised.ConclusionsAlthough Colombia has progressed significantlytowards reducing the digital divide, it is necessaryto design and develop strategies to cross-fertilisegrowth in access and ownership of ICTs with a genderapproach, targeting women from the most disadvantagedbackgrounds, ethnic minorities, older women,women with disabilities and victims of armed conflict,so they can improve their quality of life andenjoy the opportunities that ICTs can provide.With the widespread use of ICTs, violence againstwomen in the virtual space has also increased. So farthere is no institution promoting any formal actionto make ICTs safe for women. To achieve a virtualspace free of violence, more advocacy work with thewomen’s movement and civil society organisationsis required in order to tackle the problem at a politicaland legislative level. However, there is currentlyno specific plan in place to tackle violence againstwomen online where government institutions andcivil society organisations can unite their efforts usingthe formal and legal tools available.Human rights and women’s organisationsrecognise the great potential that ICTs have forempowering women and – for women working forthe defence of human rights – their usefulness forcoordinating activities, improving communications,making their work known to the general public,fundraising, and communicating in emergencysituations or when the safety of women is at risk.However, ICTs have also been used to attack womeninvolved in the defence of human rights. Some ofthe most common modalities are threats, violationof the right to privacy and safety through socialnetworks, stealing computers to get private information,and the interception of communications,including phone hacking, sometimes by governmentintelligence agencies. These threats are usedto destabilise women, frightening them and preventingthem from speaking out.Most of these threats are carried out usingmobile phones, emails and messages distributedonline, which have a massive impact on women’sorganisations and their families. As one womanhuman rights defender explains: “This way ofthreatening is more omnipresent than when it isdirect and physical. Whoever sends a threat couldbe anywhere; he or she could be living next door ormany miles away.” 14Even though ICTs allow people to communicaterapidly or to warn someone about a risk or threat,human rights defenders maintain that they do notalways trust the security measures provided by thestate. They have found out that their personal mobilephones can be tracked and all their phone callsand movements monitored. Instead of feeling protectedthey feel controlled and surveilled. 1513 Quote from “Diagnostic on the use of ICTs and violence againstwomen who are human rights defenders in Colombia”, prepared byAna María Díaz, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law consultantfor Colnodo, as part of the Cyber Stewards Network, with the aidof a grant from the International Development Research Centre(IDRC), April and May 2013.14 Ibid.15 Ibid.99 / Global Information Society Watch