London, 14 August 2020 – In light of next month’s tentatively scheduled meeting of the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on lethal autonomous weapons (LAWS) [1], the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy (CFFP) has published a new report called “Smashing the Patriarchy: The Feminist Case Against Killer Robots.” [2]
The report explores in detail why lethal autonomous weapons, or killer robots, are a feminist issue.
As states around the world continue to explore and adopt a Feminist Foreign Policy framework [3], this report clarifies civil society expectations as to how such a framework would respond to killer robots.
Marissa Conway, Co-Founder of CFFP, said:
“A Feminist Foreign Policy framework is invested in addressing the root causes of insecurity, and so recognises that as long as national security is developed through a patriarchal lens, we will never be able to build a sustainably peaceful world. The potential for mass atrocities and human rights violations caused by the development of killer robots present too great a risk, and we at the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy see no reasonable circumstance in which these weapons can be justified. Ultimately, killer robots will contribute to greater violence, and must be pre-emptively banned.”
This report highlights some of the issues revealed when a feminist lens is turned onto killer robots, including chapters on militarisation and masculinity, gender-based violence and accountability, and racism and imperialism.
The report lays out a series of policy recommendations, including:
Develop and significantly resource STEM programmes targeting girls and people of colour to ensure greater diversity in this field.
Ban the use of facial recognition software in any sort of law enforcement or conflict scenario without powerful and 100% accurate accountability mechanisms to account for the margin of error.
Ban killer robots.
ENDS
Notes to the editor:
About The Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy (CFFP):
The Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy is a research and advocacy not-for-profit advocating for equality, intersectionality, and justice in foreign policy.
Media Contact:
CFFP staff are available for interview. For more information contact Marissa Conway (Co-Founder, CFFP) by email: marissa@centreforffp.org.
References:
[1] UNOG. 2020. CCW Latest Information 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.unog.ch/80256EE600585943/(httpPages)/D9C3974A3504E274C1258408004BCE04?OpenDocument> [Accessed 13 August 2020].
[2] Conway, M., 2020. Smashing The Patriarchy: The Feminist Case Against Killer Robots. [online] Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. Available at: <http://www.centreforfeministforeignpolicy.org/smashing-the-patriarchy-the-feminist-case-against-killer-robots> [Accessed 13 August 2020].
[3] Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. 2020. Feminist Foreign Policy. [online] Available at: <https://centreforfeministforeignpolicy.org/feminist-foreign-policy> [Accessed 13 August 2020].