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Women as equal partners in the AI revolution: a call for gender equality in the digital age

 

Women as equal partners in the AI revolution: a call for gender equality in the digital age

Strasbourg, 06.03.2025 – “The AI and digital revolution must also be a revolution for gender equality,” says the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset ahead of International Women’s Day. “Together, we can break down barriers to build a future where women and girls lead, innovate, and drive the digital world forward,” he continues, calling for greater gender equality in the AI and digital world.

Despite progress, women remain underrepresented in critical digital sectors and decision-making roles. Currently, only 22% of AI professionals worldwide are women (World Economic Forum, 2022). In Europe, the latest data reveals a persistent gender gap in research and innovation: women hold just 20% of top academic positions in Science and Engineering (EU report ‘She Figures’, 2022). Women’s equal involvement in digital developments is crucial to make sure technological advancements benefit society. With women making a full contribution to these fields, we can drive more inclusive, innovative, and impactful progress for everyone.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to advance gender equality by identifying and addressing disparities in treatment and by amplifying women’s voices in decision-making. If developed and deployed responsibly, AI can play a transformative role in disrupting the cycle of gender-based violence. But if it is left unchecked, AI and related technologies are likely to be misused, perpetuating harm, reinforcing gender stereotypes, and entrenching the very biases we strive to eliminate.

To address these risks, the Council of Europe is developing a Recommendation on equality and AI, offering specific guidance on integrating equality and non-discrimination principles into AI systems. The aim is to ensure that AI fosters and enhances gender equality rather than exacerbates discrimination or infringes women’s rights.

Technology-facilitated violence against women and girls remains a formidable challenge. The harmful effects of such violence extend far beyond personal safety, impeding women's and girls' participation in political and public life. In response, the Council of Europe is preparing a Recommendation on technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, focused on strengthening accountability, enhancing victim support, and protecting against AI-powered threats, such as deepfakes and algorithmic abuse.

Gender equality and promoting the rights of all women and girls lie at the heart of the Council of Europe’s work and are central to our new Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law — the world’s first legally binding international treaty in this field.
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Fifty practitioners to enhance skills in provision of occupational therapy

Following the adoption of the Guidelines for Occupational Therapy (OT), as well as the Training of Trainers (ToT) on OT that took place in January 2024, three 2-day cascade training sessions were organised in the course of February and March 2024.  Fifty professionals, mainly from the Prison Health Department, along with representatives from the Correctional Services, Institute for Forensic Psychiatry, and the Special Institute for Persons with Mental and Physical Disabilities, were trained on this important form of therapy.

To complement the theoretical aspects and provide the trainees with practical knowledge, some of the sessions were conducted in the Dubrava Prison, in a section which houses prisoners with both mental and somatic problems. This on-site training allowed the participants to observe and understand the application of OT principles in a real-life setting, thus enhancing their learning experience by connecting theory and practice.

These cascade training sessions allowed the participants to further improve their skills in applying the OT Guidelines and tools in prisons and other closed institutions, a concept which was thus far not utilised in a structured manner. Furthermore, training healthcare and correctional professionals together helps them further strengthen the inter-institutional cooperation in the treatment and rehabilitation of some of the most vulnerable members of the society.

Each of these sessions were facilitated by two trainers who had participated in the ToT in January and were supervised and mentored by a Council of Europe consultant who has been involved in the process since the very beginning, thus further strengthening institutional capacity to provide training.

The activity was conducted under the auspices of the Council of Europe project “Improvement of the treatment of persons deprived of liberty”.

 

 

*All references to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions, or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United National Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Istog/ Istok 26 March 2024
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