For decades, the battle for gender equality was fought in the streets, in courtrooms, and within the private confines of the home. However, as we move deeper into the mid-2020s, a new and more insidious battlefield has emerged: the digital world. Despite significant strides in international law and a global expansion of support services, the safety of women and girls is being systematically undermined by the very technologies designed to connect us. This crisis is not merely a technical glitch in our social fabric; it is a profound human rights violation that threatens to undo years of hard-won progress.
The statistics remain staggering. Globally, an estimated 245 million women and girls aged 15 and older continue to endure physical or sexual violence at the hands of intimate partners every year. Yet, this physical violence is increasingly intertwined with digital aggression. Current studies indicate that up to 58 percent of women and 20 percent of girls have experienced some form of digital violence. Because online abuse is often dismissed as “lesser” than physical harm, or because victims fear further retaliation, the true scale of the problem is likely much larger, masked by a culture of under-reporting and a lack of institutional recognition.
This digital epidemic is not occurring in a vacuum. It is being fueled by a growing global backlash against women’s rights and the rapid, often unregulated, evolution of digital tools. From coordinated harassment campaigns to the weaponization of artificial intelligence, the digital space has become a conduit for hate, polarization, and anti-rights sentiment. Experts have noted a chilling link between online misogyny and violent extremism, suggesting that the normalization of digital violence against women is a precursor to broader social instability and radicalization.
The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has added a terrifying new dimension to this abuse. AI tools are no longer just futuristic concepts; they are being actively deployed to amplify existing patterns of violence and invent new forms of exploitation. Perhaps the most disturbing manifestation is the rise of image-based sexual exploitation. Data shows that 90 to 95 percent of all deepfakes circulating online are non-consensual sexualized images of women. This is not just a violation of privacy; it is a form of digital assault intended to shame, silence, and dehumanize. Furthermore, the exploitation of minors is reaching critical levels; verified AI-generated child sexual abuse material saw a nearly 400 percent increase between 2023 and 2024.
Digital violence is uniquely dangerous because it knows no borders. It follows women from the workplace to their homes, and it infiltrates even the most vulnerable settings, such as refugee camps and humanitarian crisis zones. In these contexts, the anonymity of the internet allows abusers to act with near-total impunity. For the victim, the impact is far from “virtual.” The psychological trauma, social isolation, and economic ruin caused by online harassment have real-world consequences. In many documented cases, digital stalking and harassment have escalated into physical violence, and in the most extreme instances, have culminated in femicide.
The targeting of women in public life represents a specific threat to the health of global democracy. Journalists, politicians, human rights defenders, and activists are frequently the primary targets of sophisticated digital attacks. These are not random acts of trolling; they are calculated efforts to silence women’s voices and deter them from participating in leadership, peace processes, and decision-making. When a woman in politics is subjected to a deepfake campaign or a journalist is doxxed, the message to all women and girls is clear: your presence in the public sphere comes with a price.
This risk is compounded for those who face intersecting forms of discrimination. Women with disabilities, women of color, rural women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are disproportionately targeted. These groups often face “digital economic exploitation,” where their data and identities are weaponized to cause financial and social harm, further marginalizing those already struggling against systemic inequality.
One of the most concerning developments in recent years is the expansion of the “manosphere”—a vast, interconnected ecosystem of online spaces that glorify misogyny and entrench harmful gender norms. These platforms often target young men and boys, feeding them a steady diet of anti-equality rhetoric and justifying violence as a means of “reclaiming” lost status. This radicalization of young men is a significant hurdle to achieving long-term change. To counter this, there is an urgent need for men and boys to step up as allies. Long-term progress depends on challenging these harmful online behaviors from within and promoting a culture of digital respect and consent.
Despite the clear and present danger, the global policy response has been unacceptably slow. Structural inequalities and chronic underfunding of women’s organizations have left many countries ill-equipped to handle the digital surge. Currently, less than half of the world’s nations have specific laws on the books to address online abuse. Even in jurisdictions where legislation exists, enforcement is often weak, and police forces frequently lack the training or resources to investigate digital crimes effectively. Furthermore, the governance of the digital world remains largely detached from human rights principles, with AI regulation often prioritizing corporate innovation over user safety.
However, there is a path forward. Feminist advocacy has been the driving force behind the growing recognition of digital violence as a human rights violation. Thanks to the relentless work of women-led organizations, 117 countries have now adopted some form of targeted measures to combat technology-facilitated gender-based violence. This momentum is the foundation of the UNiTE campaign, a global call to action that seeks to reclaim both digital and physical spaces for equality.
The responsibility for change does not rest solely with governments. Technology companies are the architects of the digital world, and they have a moral and ethical obligation to ensure their platforms are safe. This begins with “safety-by-design”—integrating protection and ethical considerations into the initial development of any new technology. Platforms must be held accountable for the content they host, ensuring that reporting mechanisms are accessible and that harmful content is removed or blocked swiftly.
In solidarity with the Secretary-General’s UNiTE campaign, a comprehensive call to action is being issued to governments, civil society, and the private sector. The mandate is clear: we must harmonize legal frameworks, increase funding for survivor-centric services, and ensure that digital governance is rooted in the protection of human rights.
The digital age should be an era of unprecedented opportunity for women and girls, a time where information and connection serve as tools for empowerment. Instead, for too many, the internet has become a place of fear. Reclaiming this space is not just a technical challenge; it is a moral imperative. We must UNiTE to ensure that the digital future is one defined by justice, freedom, and safety for every woman and girl, everywhere. The fight for equality has moved online, and it is a fight we cannot afford to lose.
