During her remarks, Gabriela presented the perspective of design by diversity, an approach that advocates for incorporating diversity into the conception, development, and governance processes of digital technologies. According to her, systems built without the participation of historically marginalized groups tend to reproduce and amplify structures of oppression already present in society, including gender-based violence. In this sense, ensuring diversity within teams and technological creation processes is not only an inclusion agenda, but also a condition for making digital platforms less conducive to the spread of hatred against women.
She also mentioned the package of bills and decrees signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday (20). The package expands protections for women in digital environments and creates mechanisms to monitor digital platforms’ duty of care.
“Today Brazil took another important step forward with the decrees signed by President Lula, which represent a significant advance by recognizing the responsibility of platforms and the need for specific protections for women and girls. The next step is to ensure that this agenda is implemented with a gender perspective, transparency, proportionality, social participation, algorithmic assessment, and by addressing the economic incentives that make misogyny profitable. Because we need to dismantle this architecture that exposes children and adolescents to rights-violating content and fuels hatred against women. And if the problem lies in the design, the solutions can and should also be found there,” said Agustini.
The session, coordinated by Representative Tabata Amaral (PSB-SP), included the participation of several specialists, among them lawyer and director of InternetLab, Mariana Valente; the head of the Special Communications Advisory Office at the Ministry of Women, Janara Kalline Leal; and the director and cofounder of Redes Cordiais, Clara Becker.
Working Group
The hearing is part of the cycle of technical debates on Bill 896/23, which establishes prison sentences of two to five years for misogynistic practices and makes the crime non-bailable and not subject to a statute of limitations. The bill, authored by Senator Ana Paula Lobato (PSB/MA), was approved by the Senate on March 24, with 67 votes in favor. Currently under review by the Chamber of Deputies, the working group was established on May 5 and is expected to present its final report on June 10.