Women’s rights and democracy: combatting stereotypes, disinformation, violence in the digital age

The briefing provides background information for the inter-parliamentary committee meeting on ‘Women's rights and democracy: combating stereotypes, disinformation and violence in the digital age’, which will take place on 5 March 2026. The expansion of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), presents both transformative opportunities and profound challenges for the advancement of women’s rights. While these innovations have revolutionised access to education, economic empowerment, and global advocacy—amplifying feminist movements and breaking down structural barriers—they have also exacerbated gendered risks, from algorithmic bias and online harassment to the weaponisation of deepfake technology. The same tools that enable progress can equally entrench inequality. By embedding rights-based frameworks into AI, platform policies, and data systems, digital innovation can be transformed into a tool for empowerment.