The promise of the digital age was once rooted in the democratization of information and the empowerment of marginalized voices. For women and girls across the globe, the internet offered a portal to education, economic independence, and a platform to challenge systemic inequalities. However, that digital frontier has rapidly transformed into a hostile landscape. Today, the very tools designed to connect us are being weaponized with terrifying precision. As we approach the end of 2025, a sobering reality has emerged: while technology evolves at breakneck speed, the legal frameworks intended to protect human rights are stalled in the past, leaving nearly half of the world’s female population vulnerable to a new, virulent strain of violence.
Recent data released by the World Bank paints a harrowing picture of this legislative vacuum. Currently, fewer than 40 percent of nations have established formal laws to combat cyber harassment or cyberstalking. This institutional neglect means that 44 percent of women and girls—totaling roughly 1.8 billion individuals—have no legal recourse when they are targeted by digital predators. This is not merely a gap in policy; it is a global crisis of safety and equity that threatens to undo decades of progress in women’s rights.
Digital violence is no longer limited to mean-spirited comments or “trolling.” It has matured into a sophisticated arsenal of abuse, fueled by the rise of generative artificial intelligence and the persistent shield of online anonymity. From the non-consensual sharing of intimate images to the creation of malicious deepfakes, the methods of intimidation are becoming increasingly difficult to detect and prosecute. Doxing—the practice of publishing private identifying information—and coordinated disinformation campaigns are being used to silence women, shame them into domesticity, and drive them out of public discourse.
The impact is particularly acute for women in positions of influence. Female leaders, entrepreneurs, and politicians are being systematically targeted by gendered disinformation campaigns designed to ruin reputations and force them off digital platforms. This is a strategic attempt to reclaim the public square for patriarchy by making the cost of participation too high for women to pay. Nowhere is this more evident than in the field of journalism. Global reports indicate that one in four women journalists has faced online threats of physical violence, including explicit death threats. When the voices meant to hold power to account are silenced by digital mobs, the very foundations of democracy begin to crumble.
Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, has been a vocal advocate for recognizing the bridge between virtual abuse and physical harm. She emphasizes that the distinction between “online” and “offline” is a dangerous fallacy. What begins as a series of hateful messages or a manipulated image often escalates into real-world stalking, physical assault, and, in the most extreme cases, femicide. The psychological toll is equally devastating, spreading a climate of fear that causes women to self-censor and withdraw from society. Bahous has been clear in her mandate: laws must evolve alongside technology. Justice cannot be a concept that ends at the edge of a keyboard. When perpetrators act with impunity because the law does not recognize their crimes, the message sent to women and girls is that their safety is a secondary concern.
Despite the bleak statistics, the landscape is not entirely devoid of hope. There are signs that the tide is beginning to turn as governments realize the scale of the threat. In 2025, 117 countries reported new or ongoing efforts to address digital violence, though these initiatives remain largely fragmented. We are seeing the emergence of landmark legislation that could serve as a blueprint for the rest of the world. The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act, Mexico’s revolutionary Ley Olimpia—which specifically targets digital sexual violence—Australia’s Online Safety Act, and the European Union’s Digital Safety Act represent a significant shift toward holding both individuals and tech platforms accountable.
However, the challenge remains transnational. A predator in one country can target a victim in another, navigating a maze of conflicting jurisdictions and weak enforcement. This is why UN Women is leveraging the 2025 “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign to demand a unified, global response. The campaign, which runs annually from November 25 to December 10, serves as a bridge between the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Human Rights Day. This year, the focus is squarely on the digital realm, calling for an end to the “wild west” mentality of the internet.
To support this push for reform, UN Women has introduced two critical new resources for policymakers and law enforcement. The first is a comprehensive supplement to the Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women, specifically focusing on technology-facilitated abuse. This tool provides legislators with the language and frameworks necessary to close the gaps that 1.8 billion women currently fall through. The second is a specialized Guide for Police on Addressing Technology-Facilitated Violence. This guide is a necessary evolution of previous police handbooks, acknowledging that traditional policing methods are often ill-equipped to handle the nuances of digital evidence, AI-generated content, and the specific trauma associated with online abuse.
The rise of AI-generated abuse has added a layer of complexity that previous generations of activists could hardly have imagined. Deepfakes, which can place a woman’s likeness into pornographic or compromising situations with terrifying realism, are being used as a tool of extortion and character assassination. Because these images are synthetic, many legal systems struggle to categorize them under existing obscenity or harassment laws. The impunity enjoyed by those who create and distribute this content is a primary driver of the current surge in digital violence.
Furthermore, the fight against digital abuse is occurring against a backdrop of shrinking civic space and unprecedented funding cuts. Feminist movements, which have been the primary drivers of legislative change, are finding themselves under-resourced and under attack. The “ACT to End Violence against Women and Girls” programme, funded by the European Union, has become a vital lifeline in this environment. By fostering advocacy and coalition-building, ACT aims to amplify the voices of grassroots feminist organizations, ensuring that the push for digital safety is led by those who understand the nuances of the abuse most intimately.
The 16 Days of Activism is more than a period of awareness; it is a call for a fundamental restructuring of how we view digital rights. It urges technology companies to move beyond performative safety features and instead build platforms that are “safe by design.” It calls on governments to treat digital violence with the same urgency as physical assault. And it asks the global community to recognize that until the digital space is safe for the most vulnerable among us, it is not truly a space for anyone.
The 2025 UNiTE campaign is clear in its objectives: strengthen laws, end the culture of impunity, and provide survivor-centered services that address the unique needs of those harmed by digital tools. Digital literacy must also play a role, empowering women and girls to navigate these spaces with confidence while demanding better from the corporations that profit from their engagement.
As we look toward a future increasingly dominated by digital interaction, the stakes could not be higher. True equality is impossible if half of the population is forced to navigate a minefield of harassment and control every time they log on. The tools for justice are being forged, but they require the political will to be implemented. The digital world was promised as a place of connection and empowerment; it is time to hold the world to that promise and ensure that technology serves the cause of equality, rather than becoming a weapon of harm. Until every woman and girl can participate in the digital economy and social sphere without fear, the global community has failed in its duty to protect fundamental human rights. The 16 Days of Activism reminds us that there is no excuse for silence, and no excuse for delay.
