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The Latin American fight for legal, safe and accessible abortion is also fought in the digital space

27.09.2024 | Authors: Ser Valiente en Red, Fundación InternetBolivia.org and Jaaklac

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28S Legal Abortion

On 28 September each year, the Global Day of Action for Legal, Safe and Accessible Abortion is commemorated globally. This day reinforces actions commonly known as Safe Abortion Day and has its origin among Latin American women’s movements. According to studies, the highest abortion rates in the world occur in countries where it is prohibited, proving to be more effective family planning policies, Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE), among others. Today we are faced with major points of tension, between advances and setbacks, in a fundamental dimension of women’s autonomy. These challenges have been amplified by the expansion of digital technologies, both facilitating solutions and reinforcing restrictions.

On the criminalisation of abortion in the region

Latin America has been advancing in policies, programmes and research to instrumentalise women’s right to decide about their bodies. In less than a decade, significant progress has been made in different countries, increasing between 2017 and 2022 from 3% to 37% of the female population with access to legal abortion. Countries such as Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Cuba, Guyana, Argentina, Uruguay and Puerto Rico have legalised abortion. However, we are still far from a material change: lack of medical personnel, psycho-social assistance, and high stigmatisation prevail.

Access to safe and private abortion in Latin America is increasingly mediated by digital technologies. The internet has facilitated access to information, mobilisation of transnational movements, and articulation of local civil society. At the same time, digital societies have presented new risks including disinformation, security attacks and limitations on the freedom of those seeking access to abortion. This has been also important in relation to activists and feminists, on whom progress in medical research, policy and action ensuring women’s wellbeing has historically depended.

Progress on women’s rights and autonomy has generated resistance. This has been seen especially among growing conservative and ultra-right groups in the region, and in collaboration with similar groups in the United States and Europe. Restrictions to abortion have been observed outside the region, even in countries with decades-old legislation, such as Norway, Poland, China and the United States. Strategies of anti-abortion groups have included policy lobbying and funding. These have been anchored in digital disinformation, knowledge brokering, and direct cyber-attacks on activists and those seeking support for abortion.

Some examples of these challenges and opportunities in digital societies for safer abortion have been foregrounded in Bolivia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay:

Disinformation, Doxxing and attacks on privacy and security

Digital misinformation about safe abortion has increased, for example on TikTok, where people search for information about misoprostol, a legal drug proved to be effective for safe abortion. This was especially observed among young people in countries such as Peru, who have been victims of doxxing. That is, the unauthorised exposure of their personal data to intimidate and silence those exploring their reproductive options. The speed with which information spreads on these platforms increases the risks of harassment and threats to those seeking support.

In addition, there are disinformation campaigns in Mexico that spread myths about abortion procedures, these have been seen in Ecuador and Brazil as well, creating an environment of fear and social control. Anti-abortion ads on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have reached millions of people, using false narratives to delegitimise abortion rights. This scenario turns social media into hostile spaces for those seeking reliable information.

The problem is compounded by the lack of effective regulation of platforms such as Meta and Google, which allow the spread of false information while blocking verified reproductive health content. This particularly affects regions such as Latin America, Africa and Asia, where access to health services is crucial. Although these companies claim to have global policies, their implementation is inconsistent, facilitating the spread of fake news.

This context is particularly exacerbated among women with few economic resources, who are unable to access health services. This especially affects those who reside in countries where legal regulations criminalise the exercise of rights and where there is a greater gender digital divide. In these contexts, abound disinformation campaigns regarding the termination of pregnancy and knowledge is scarce about strategies to protect privacy and sensitive digital information. These inequalities put women and adolescents in vulnerability and they can easily be incriminated for exercising the autonomy of their bodies.

Against this backdrop, support for feminist collectives and local groups is crucial. The establishment of digital safety protocols and clear communication strategies to protect those seeking or providing accompaniment to access abortion depend to a large extent on these groups. Similarly, digital platforms must take responsibility for stopping malicious campaigns that threaten fundamental and reproductive rights.

Solutions based on dialogue and co-design with social movements, platforms, education and international solidarity

The digital age presents opportunities to influence and materialise change for the common good. International solidarity has been facilitated on the internet through the coordination between different civil society organisations, technology companies, international agencies and governments. These have shared research, supported actions and reflections on commonalities and divergences to advance human rights in digital societies.

In that sense, local organisations have occupied neglected spaces, such as with establishing help lines for cases of digital gender-based violence, accompaniment in holistic digital security, and elaboration of recommendations to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Fundación Internet Bolivia recently shared a report on sexual risks in digital environments for girls and developed an educational framework on digital inclusion and talent. These have been accessible in indigenous languages and collaborating with art collectives.

Ser Valiente En Red in Peru has responded to cases of doxxing women and conducted workshops on comprehensive digital sexual education in Cusco. Together with Acoso.Online, they are currently developing a printable educational resource SecuraSext, to facilitate resilience competencies and skills on these issues. From Jaaklac, we carry out global campaigns on quality education in the digital era and co-design resources on digital CSE with adolescents and youth in Uruguay.

For those who decide to accompany the exercise of bodily autonomy or are looking for information on abortion, we share some tips for the care of their information:

Today more than ever it is crucial that we continue to network for the struggle for the autonomy of our bodies and the right to access information.

The right to decide about our bodies cannot be limited,

neither in the physical nor in the digital world!

Some key tips:

  • Use the search engine DuckDuckGo: This does not store your search data or collect your information making it safer to access information on sensitive topics.
  • If you share devices: Delete your search history and cookies after using the browser or use incognito mode. This prevents your searches from being saved in your computer or mobile history.
  • Use end-to-end encryption: Enable this feature or use messaging apps that offer it by default, such as Signal. Ensure that your conversations remain private and secure between you and the person you are communicating with can read them.
  • Incorporate a locking method for mobile phones and computers, such as pins or passwords. Enable two-step verification on your accounts, making it harder for people to access your emails or messages.
  • Protect your data with VPNs: VPNs protect your browsing by encrypting your connection and making it private. This prevents third parties from tracking your online activity, such as identifying your location or computer.

More resources:

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