The digital frontier, once envisioned as a democratizing space for global communication, has transformed into a volatile battleground for women standing on the front lines of human rights, journalism, and social activism. A landmark report titled “Tipping Point: The chilling escalation of violence against women in the public sphere,” released by UN Women in collaboration with international researchers, reveals a harrowing reality: online abuse is no longer confined to the screen. It has reached a critical juncture where digital vitriol is directly manifesting as physical danger, threatening to silence the voices essential to a functioning democracy.
The data is as clear as it is alarming. Seven out of every ten women human rights defenders, activists, and journalists surveyed report being targets of online violence. Even more disturbing is the rapid acceleration of “cross-platform” harm. According to the findings, 41 percent of women who have faced digital abuse have also experienced subsequent offline harm. This trajectory suggests that the barrier between virtual threats and physical safety has effectively dissolved, leaving those in the public eye vulnerable to a continuum of violence that follows them from their social media feeds to their very doorsteps.
For women in the media, the situation has deteriorated at a terrifying pace. In 2020, a global survey conducted by UNESCO indicated that 20 percent of women journalists linked offline attacks to previous online harassment. In just five years, that figure has more than doubled. The 2025 data shows that 42 percent of women journalists and media workers now report a direct connection between the abuse they receive on the internet and the physical threats or assaults they face in the real world. This surge highlights a systemic failure to protect the people responsible for holding power to account and informing the public.
Sarah Hendricks, the Director of Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women, emphasizes that the term “virtual” is a misnomer in this context. She describes the phenomenon as a calculated strategy of intimidation designed to shame and marginalize women who speak out. When activists and journalists are targeted, the intent is rarely just to insult; it is to drive them out of the public square entirely. Hendricks warns that when women are intimidated into silence, the very foundations of public debate and democratic participation are undermined. The violence, she notes, does not stay behind a keyboard—it follows women home, creating a pervasive atmosphere of fear that transcends the digital divide.
The report also sheds light on a new and sophisticated weapon in the arsenal of digital abusers: Artificial Intelligence. The “Tipping Point” study reveals that nearly one in four women human rights defenders and journalists have been targeted by AI-assisted violence. This includes the creation of deepfake imagery and highly sophisticated manipulated content designed to destroy reputations and inflict psychological trauma. For writers and social media influencers who focus specifically on human rights issues, the risk is even higher, with 30 percent reporting exposure to AI-driven attacks.
Professor Julie Posetti, the lead researcher and Director of TheNerve’s Information Integrity Initiative, points out that we are living in an era defined by the intersection of AI-fueled abuse and rising authoritarianism. The data illustrates a “dangerous and potentially deadly trajectory,” where the tools of modern technology are being weaponized to reinforce traditional power structures and suppress dissent. The surge in AI-assisted harassment represents a significant escalation in the complexity of online violence, making it harder for platforms to moderate and easier for perpetrators to hide behind anonymity while inflicting maximum damage.
The release of this report coincides with the conclusion of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign that this year focused heavily on the digital dimension of abuse. The campaign serves as a clarion call for a fundamental shift in how the world views technology-facilitated violence. It is no longer enough to treat online harassment as a secondary concern or a “cost of doing business” for women in the public eye. Instead, there is a growing demand for robust legal frameworks that recognize digital violence as a clear violation of human rights.
Central to this movement is the demand for accountability from the technology giants that host these platforms. For years, social media companies have been criticized for their slow response to gender-based abuse and their failure to implement effective safety protocols. The UN Women report argues for a radical transformation in tech regulation, emphasizing that these companies must be held responsible for the environments they create. This includes the implementation of survivor-centered response systems, transparent moderation policies, and the development of tools specifically designed to protect women human rights defenders and journalists.
In response to these findings, UN Women is launching a comprehensive corporate strategy aimed at preventing and eliminating technology-facilitated violence against women and girls. This initiative is designed to bridge the gap between policy and practice by accelerating prevention efforts and strengthening the resilience of women’s rights movements. By focusing on data-driven solutions and amplifying the voices of those most affected, the strategy seeks to create a digital landscape where women can lead, report, and advocate without fear of retribution.
The broader context of this crisis involves the ACT (Advocacy, Coalition Building and Transformative Feminist Action) programme, a collaborative effort between the European Commission and UN Women. As co-leaders of the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence, these organizations are working alongside the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women to elevate feminist priorities on the global stage. Their goal is to create a unified advocacy agenda that addresses the root causes of gender-based violence in all its forms, whether they occur in a physical boardroom or a digital comment section.
Supporting this research is TheNerve’s Information Integrity Initiative, an action-oriented project founded by Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa. The initiative operates at the critical intersection of gender, disinformation, and freedom of expression. Ressa, who has herself been a target of state-sponsored digital harassment, has long argued that the collapse of information integrity is a direct threat to democracy. When journalists are attacked through coordinated disinformation campaigns, the public’s ability to access truth is compromised. The “Tipping Point” report reinforces this, showing that the harassment of women is often the first sign of a broader erosion of democratic norms.
As the world navigates the complexities of the AI age, the safety of women in the public sphere has become a litmus test for the health of our global society. If 70 percent of women leaders are being targeted with violence, the message being sent to the next generation of girls is that the public square is a dangerous place for them. This chilling effect not only limits individual careers but also impoverishes the diversity of thought and leadership available to solve the world’s most pressing problems.
The path forward requires more than just awareness; it requires a coordinated global response that treats digital safety as a prerequisite for equality. This means investing in research to understand the intersectional impacts of violence—acknowledging that women of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those from marginalized communities often face even more intense and frequent attacks. It means building safety protocols that are as sophisticated as the technologies used to inflict harm. Most importantly, it means refusing to accept online violence as an inevitable part of the digital experience.
The findings of the “Tipping Point” report serve as a stark reminder that the digital and physical worlds are now inextricably linked. When we fail to protect women online, we fail to protect them everywhere. As UN Women and its partners move toward implementing new strategies for accountability and prevention, the goal is clear: to reclaim digital spaces as platforms for empowerment rather than tools for intimidation. Only then can the promise of the digital age be realized for everyone, ensuring that those who speak truth to power can do so without risking their lives.
