Join us during CSW: we’re convening two Tech Salons about the rights of women’s and girls’ online, media and online violence

As the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) takes place from 10 to 21 March 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, we are partnering with CNN’s As Equals team to convene two in-person Tech Salons focusing on the rights of women’s and girls’ online and the intersection of tech, media and online violence against women and girls. Keep reading to learn how you can join us!

March 13, 9-11 am: What Happens When Women’s and Girls’ Rights Online are Not Protected?

As the online world continues to evolve, with AI, deep fakes, and much more advancing at speed, it’s crucial to keep pace and ensure that known harms are addressed. Yet to date, responses by platforms and others to online violence against women and girls have been reactive and slow. Crucially, they have largely left out the voices of the people most affected, including those living outside of the US.

Women’s and girls’ participation online and the degree to which they benefit from the use of AI and other digital tools depends on informed and safe access to the Internet. Through human stories, worldwide investigations, and data dives, CNN’s As Equals team’s Systems Error series has reported on the reality that women and girls are less safe online than men and boys – in a myriad of ways.

Others such as Girl Effect and UNICEF have gathered insights globally to better understand how changes in online tools and AI technologies are affecting women and girls in their daily lives, including those living in humanitarian crises.

Join the Technology Salon for a lively, intimate, off the record conversation where we’ll cover questions like:

• What happens when women and girls are not protected online?
• What can women and girls do to protect themselves if no one else is doing it?
• What does recent research tell us about how women and girls think about online violence?
• How does AI contribute to online harm for girls and women?
• What is the responsibility of organizations deploying tech and AI to protect female users?
• How can the media continue to draw attention to these situations?

 Our lead discussants will be:

• Ladan Anoushfar, CNN As Equals Editor
• Pallabi Munsi, CNN Reporter, doxing in Myanmar
• Isabelle Amazon-Brown, The MERL Tech Initiative
• Abeera Akhtar, Digital Product Developer, UNICEF
• Shanna Marzilli, President and CEO of Plan International USA
• Linda Raftree, NYC Tech Salon Convener and Founder of The MERL Tech Initiative

Please RSVP Now. Coffee will be available in the cafeteria. In-person seating is limited. Once we reach our 30-person capacity there will be a waiting list!

Protecting Girls’ and Women’s Rights Online
Technology Salon NYC – In-Person Only
March 13, 2025, 9-11am
Rockefeller Foundation Headquarters
420 5th Ave (enter through the revolving doors on 37th or 38th St)
22nd Floor
New York, NY
RSVP is required for attendance

March 17, 4-6 pm: How can media tell effective, real stories about online violence against women and girls?

Join the Technology Salon for an exciting afternoon conversation over tea, coffee and snacks with journalists, technologists and data experts who are exploring the intersection of tech, media and online violence against women and girls.

Our special guests, CNN’s As Equals series producers, will share their multimedia, interactive Systems Error video reporting on:

• What is doxing and how does it affect women in the global south?

• Why is the Metaverse unsafe for girls?

Then we’ll briefly hear from a panel of media professionals and technologists on the role of media in raising awareness and changing perspectives around online violence, including :

• The importance of using narrative to tell these stories and encourage change
• The main ways that women and girls face violence online
• How can media tell effective, real stories about online violence against women and girls
• What is missing from our current narratives?

 We’ll be joined by an expert panel:

• Ladan Anoushfar, CNN As Equals Editor
• Pallabi Munsi, CNN Reporter, doxing in Myanmar
• Odanga Madun, CNN Reporter, Kenyan Manosphere
• Lam Thuy Vo, Contributing Investigative Journalist with Documented
• Kat Townsend, Lead, UNFPA’s Safety Showcase on Tech-Facilitated Online Violence against Women
• Linda Raftree (moderator), NYC Tech Salon Convener and Founder of The MERL Tech Initiative

 There will be plenty of time for networking and informal conversations over tea, coffee and snacks!

Shifting narratives about Online Violence
Technology Salon NYC Media Showcase Event
In-Person Only, March 17, 2025, 4-6 pm
Rockefeller Foundation’s NYC Convening Center
420 5th Ave (enter on 5th Ave)
New York, NY
RSVP is required for attendance.
Please arrive early with an ID to clear security.

The Technology Salon™ is an intimate, informal, and in-person, discussion between information and communication technology experts and international development professionals, with a focus on both technology’s impact on donor-sponsored technical assistance delivery and private enterprise driven economic development, facilitated by technology.