- The study looks at five key dimensions of a functional digital ecosystem: service management, governance, infrastructure, infostructure, and organizational culture.
- The result allows us to understand how care and prevention services for violence against women services are being transformed, what technological capacities have been developed and what are the gaps that still limit more integrated, accessible and safe care.
An X-ray allows you to see clearly what is not seen with the naked eye. This is achieved by the new study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), "Digital X-Ray of Services for the Prevention and Attention to Violence against Women," which maps for the first time the digital ecosystem of mechanisms for the advancement of women (MAM, for its acronym in Spanish) in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In 2023, 18 countries in the region participated in two surveys targeting technical teams from their ministries, secretariats, and women's institutes. The study looked at five key dimensions of a functional digital ecosystem: service management, governance, infrastructure, infostructure, and organizational culture. The result is a diagnosis that allows us to understand more precisely how care and prevention services are being transformed, what technological capacities have been developed and what are the gaps that still limit more integrated, accessible and safe care.
This process is part of a broader effort to modernize the State, where the digitalization of public services, including those related to violence against women, is consolidated as a tool to strengthen management, improve inter-institutional coordination, and expand citizen access.
“The study analyzes progress in the digitalization processes of public services addressing violence against women in 18 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. It examines five dimensions that make up a model digital ecosystem: services, governance, infrastructure, info-structure, and organizational culture, which allows identifying progress, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen the digital transformation of services addressing violence against women. Its findings provide concrete guidance to move toward more integrated, sustainable, and women-centered care systems.”
A Panorama that is Beginning to Take Shape
The diagnosis shows clear, although uneven, progress. Most MAMs already use digital channels: 78% WhatsApp and 72% social networks, which represents significant improvements in accessibility and communication. However, most use them for basic information and reference functions. Specialized services, such as legal aid (44%) or group counseling (6%), remain less frequent.
The data confirms a trend: digitalization is advancing, but it has not yet managed to unfold its full transformative potential. Incorporating more comprehensive services and connecting face-to-face and digital modalities are essential steps to guarantee continuous and quality care. Today, only 28% of countries have hybrid models that allow a woman to start her process in person and continue it remotely without having to start from scratch.
Technology as an Ally of Change
The study also highlights progress in strengthening technological infrastructure. More than 90% of MAMs have guidelines on the protection of personal data, reflecting a growing concern for the security and confidentiality of information. However, data encryption (50%) and two-factor authentication (36%) still require strengthening. Interoperability systems, which allow information to be shared automatically and securely between institutions, exist in only 21% of countries, limiting a more coordinated response.
The digital governance dimension presents a similar picture: strategic frameworks exist, but services to address violence against women are not always fully integrated into national digital transformation strategies. Although almost all countries have digitalization plans, only 69% explicitly include these services. Formal integration is not just a matter of visibility, it guarantees:
- Budget availability
- Permanent technical support
- Institutional continuity
Regarding the use of information, the study shows that, although most MAMs collect basic data, only half carry out risk assessments, a key input to prioritize cases, and only 14% have early warning systems that allow anticipating critical situations. Moving towards more structured data management can strengthen the planning and prioritization of services, moving from reaction to prevention.
Finally, no technological innovation can be sustained without the people behind it. Organizational culture and staff capabilities are at the heart of any digital transformation. Almost all MAMs report having technical teams, but only half have resources for continuous training, and less than a quarter have access to self-managed courses or digital learning platforms. Strengthening these capacities is not a complementary step: it is the engine that drives the functioning and evolution of systems.
A Roadmap to Move Forward
The study proposes several lines of action to consolidate progress and strengthen the digitalization of services for the prevention and care of violence against women:
- Integrate these services into national digital transformation strategies,
- Promote interoperability between institutions,
- Investing in secure technology infrastructure
- Encourage continuous training of technical staff
- Design systems centered on users: accessible, reliable and capable of accompanying the entire care process without fragmentation.
This X-ray offers an encouraging picture. The foundations of digital transformation are already present in much of the region. The challenge now is to consolidate these advances, connect them with each other and expand their reach. Only in this way will technology be able to fulfill its true purpose: to enhance efforts to prevent, care and protect against violence against women, and to help each woman find more timely and safe responses.