Since 2014, InternetLab has been dedicated to the issue of online gender-based violence, with a particularly close focus on the Brazilian context. We understand this phenomenon as a contemporary form of gender violence, in which digital technologies are used to inflict various types of harm on women and people with diverse gender identities. These practices, which manifest in virtual spaces, are rooted in sexist beliefs and operate in continuity with broader forms of gender-based violence, often intertwining with offline dynamics. Despite the connections between online and offline, internet violence has its own particularities: the potentially unlimited reach, the possibility of amplification of attacks, the diverse forms these aggressions can take, and the very structure of digital platforms, which can both foster and restrict violent content.

If online gender-based violence has specific contours and impacts, the ways to confront it are also particular. Developing effective strategies to address such a dynamic phenomenon, which exists simultaneously in global and local contexts, is a challenge that demands diagnoses beyond criminal law and a punitive logic.

With this understanding, in 2024, InternetLab launched the project Untangling Gender in Code and Law: Intersectional Perspectives of OGBV in Latin America, through which we aim to understand and contribute to the debate on confronting online gender-based violence from a Latin American perspective. In this project, we seek to understand the existing legal frameworks in the region to address online gender-based violence, particularly non-criminalizing policies aimed at tackling online misogyny in Brazil and other Latin American countries.

To this end, InternetLab is opening a call for proposals to support jurisprudential research investigating how civil law has been applied, in different countries across the region, in cases of online gender-based violence. In order to ensure a locally grounded understanding, we are seeking Latin American organizations and research centers interested in conducting studies on the application of civil law in their countries, based on a methodology developed by InternetLab.

​​What We Aim to Support

Through this call for proposals, InternetLab seeks to select and support research projects that adapt and apply the data collection and analysis methodology developed by our research team for Brazilian courts. The methodology involves:

(i) the selection of civil law courts to be analyzed;
Taking into account aspects such as regional diversity and population distribution, the proposed methodology involves selecting a few national courts for decision collection. In the case of Brazil, due to its territorial extension, we chose to include five civil courts, representing each of the country’s regions (North, South, Northeast, Southeast, and Center-West). Therefore, it is essential that these characteristics are considered and that the choice of courts is properly justified based on the local context of the country.

(ii) the development of a lexicon of potentially offensive terms;
In Brazil, judicial decisions can be searched on court websites using keywords. To identify cases of online gender-based violence, we developed a lexicon of terms commonly found in such cases. The lexicon was divided into three groups: (i) words related to the internet, such as “online,” “social media,” and platform names; (ii) misogynistic terms widely used in the country, such as “slut” and “crazy”; and (iii) words associated with image-based cases, such as “deepfake” and “revenge porn”. During data collection, groups (i) and (ii) were cross-referenced. 

(iii) the definition of legal categories related to image-based abuse in online environments (such as non-consensual dissemination of intimate images, deepnudes, among others);
To conduct the research, it is necessary to define the legal categories related to the topic under investigation—that is, how manifestations of online gender-based violence are framed within the legal system of the country. This definition is important so that the analysis encompasses the various ways in which this type of violence occurs in digital environments, including the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence in deepnude cases.

(iv) the automated collection of judicial decisions in appellate courts;
The research methodology must clearly describe how the empirical corpus will be collected. In our case, we worked with a programmer responsible for the automated collection of these decisions. Therefore, we recommend that submitted proposals take into account the need for this type of technical work, indicating, whenever possible, who will be responsible for this stage of the research.

(v) the analysis of the collected data.
After data collection, the judicial decisions must be analyzed in order to understand how civil courts are ruling on cases of online misogyny. This investigation should be conducted by building categories for document analysis and considered in dialogue with the local context of each country. The objectives of this stage are:

• to identify cases of online misogyny that reach the civil judiciary;
• to understand how civil courts are judging cases of misogyny on the internet;
• to analyze whether and how digital platforms are involved and held accountable in these cases; and
• to investigate how civil law is mobilized to either confront or uphold online gender-based violence.

Selected projects must adapt this methodological approach to their local context, presenting proposals that justify and detail the necessary adaptations, always aligned with the objectives of the research.

Support offered

Between 2 and 4 projects will be selected. The selected projects will receive three types of support from InternetLab:

1. Financial support, in the form of a grant compatible with the budget presented in the research proposal, ranging from BRL 50,000 to BRL 70,000
2. Thematic support: InternetLab will monitor the development of the selected projects, offering opportunities to discuss, refine, assist, and exchange impressions and suggestions according to each project’s specific needs. To facilitate and contribute to project development, InternetLab will organize training sessions and dialogues with researchers and civil society organizations, fostering a Latin American network of specialists
3. Communication support: To contribute to the dissemination of results, InternetLab will also provide communication assistance to share the research through scientific dissemination channels and the media. The commitment will be to collaboratively develop specific communication products with the selected project teams to broaden the debate on research findings

Applications, deadlines, and selection criteria

Civil society organizations, research groups, and research centers (affiliated or not with Latin American universities) with experience in research on law and gender may submit proposals. Prior experience with internet-related research is not a requirement but will be considered a plus.

Proposals must align with the topic and scope of the call and include:

I. Project proposal covering the following elements (up to 6 pages, excluding budget and references):

i. Project summary. A brief description of the project, its main objectives, and expected outcomes

ii. Research problem. A detailed description of the research problem, considering the local and legal context of the country to be studied

iii. Application of the methodology to the local context. A detailed explanation of how the methodology will be adapted to the local context, with justification for the necessary adaptations at each stage of the project

iv. Project justification. A concise justification highlighting the relevance of the project in the given country and its implications for public and policy debates on combating online gender-based violence in Latin America

v. References used. 

vi. Project timeline. A detailed plan of activities over the 12-month duration of the project, including the presentation of preliminary results within 8 months

vii. Simplified budget. A clear and straightforward description of the projected expenses, organized by category such as personnel, services, communication, and infrastructure

II. Simplified CVs of the individuals involved

Proposals must be submitted by May 6, 2025, to the email address internetlab@internetlab.org.br, with the subject line: “CALL FOR PROPOSALS – CIVIL JURISPRUDENCE RESEARCH ON ONLINE MISOGYNY IN LATIN AMERICA”. Emails and messages with other subject lines may be disregarded.

Evaluation

Proposal evaluation will be supported by an ad hoc review committee that will assist InternetLab in deciding which projects to support. The selection will consider:

i. the intersectional approach of the proposal, taking into account race, sexuality, class, and other social markers of difference
ii. diversity in the composition of the groups and/or individuals developing the projects
iii. the project’s relevance to the national and regional context
iv. the team’s experience in conducting research projects and in activities related to the topic