The digital revolution, once heralded as the ultimate engine for democratic empowerment and global connectivity, has rapidly transformed into a perilous landscape for millions of women and girls. While technology has provided unprecedented opportunities for education, business, and social organization, it has simultaneously birthed a sophisticated ecosystem of abuse. Today, digital violence is intensifying at a staggering rate, weaponized by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, the shield of online anonymity, and a profound lack of international legal accountability. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the safety of women in digital spaces has become one of the most pressing human rights challenges of the 21st century.
Recent data from the World Bank paints a harrowing picture of this legislative vacuum. Currently, fewer than 40 percent of countries have enacted specific laws to protect women from cyber harassment or cyberstalking. This leaves approximately 44 percent of the world’s women and girls—nearly 1.8 billion individuals—without any formal legal recourse or protection from digital abuse. This “protection gap” means that for nearly half the female population on Earth, the internet is a territory where perpetrators can act with near-total impunity, knowing that the law is either non-existent or ill-equipped to handle the nuances of technological harm.
The modalities of this violence are as diverse as they are devastating. Digital abuse is no longer confined to simple text-based harassment; it has evolved into a complex array of attacks including doxing—the malicious publication of private information—non-consensual image sharing, and the targeted use of gendered disinformation. Perhaps most concerning is the rise of deepfakes and AI-generated content. These technologies are being used to create non-consensual, sexually explicit imagery designed to silence, shame, and intimidate women, particularly those who occupy public roles.
The impact on women in leadership is particularly acute. Women in politics, journalism, and business are being targeted with coordinated harassment campaigns intended to drive them out of the public eye. For many, the price of having a voice is a constant barrage of threats. Statistics indicate that one in four women journalists has reported receiving online threats of physical violence, including death threats. This digital “silencing” does more than just harm the individual; it degrades the quality of democracy and limits the diversity of perspectives in our global discourse. When women are forced to deplatform or exit public life to protect their safety, society as a whole loses.
Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of UN Women, has been vocal about the urgent need to bridge the gap between digital and physical safety. “What begins online doesn’t stay online,” Bahous warned. “Digital abuse spills into real life, spreading fear, silencing voices, and—in the worst cases—leading to physical violence and femicide. Laws must evolve with technology to ensure that justice protects women both online and offline. Weak legal protections leave millions of women and girls vulnerable, while perpetrators act with impunity. This is unacceptable.”
The transition from digital threat to physical harm is a well-documented trajectory. Stalking that begins via social media often escalates to physical tracking, and the psychological trauma of online vitriol can have life-altering consequences for a victim’s mental health and physical security. Despite this, the global justice system remains largely reactive and under-resourced. Reporting rates for online abuse remain abysmally low, often because survivors believe—correctly, in many cases—that the police will not take their complaints seriously or that the legal system lacks the jurisdiction to pursue offenders across international borders.
However, the tide is beginning to turn as several nations pioneer landmark legislation. The United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act and Australia’s Online Safety Act have set new benchmarks for platform accountability, placing the onus on tech giants to proactively remove harmful content. In Mexico, the “Ley Olimpia” (Olimpia’s Law) emerged from grassroots feminist activism to specifically criminalize the unauthorized sharing of intimate images, providing a model for how survivor-led movements can reshape the legal landscape. Similarly, the European Union’s Digital Services Act represents a comprehensive attempt to regulate the digital ecosystem and protect fundamental rights. As of 2025, approximately 117 countries have reported some form of effort to address digital violence, though these efforts remain largely fragmented and inconsistent.
The fight against digital violence is currently being waged during the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.” This annual international campaign, which runs from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to December 10, Human Rights Day, serves as a rallying cry for global solidarity. This year, the focus is squarely on the digital frontier. Led by the UNiTE initiative, the campaign calls on governments and tech companies to move beyond rhetoric and implement concrete structural changes.
UN Women is advocating for a multi-pronged approach to the crisis. This includes the implementation of survivor-centered laws that recognize digital abuse as a violation of human rights, and the demand for tech platforms to take greater responsibility for the algorithms that often amplify hate speech and harassment. To support this transition, UN Women has launched two critical new resources: the *Supplement to the Handbook for Legislation on Violence against Women on Technology-facilitated violence* and the *Guide for Police on Addressing Technology-Facilitated Violence*. These tools are designed to provide law enforcement and policymakers with the technical expertise needed to identify, investigate, and prosecute digital crimes effectively.
The challenge is compounded by a difficult global political climate. Feminist movements are currently navigating a “shrinking civic space,” where funding for women’s rights organizations is being slashed even as the need for their services grows. Recent reports suggest that unprecedented funding cuts are threatening decades of progress in the movement to end violence against women. In this environment, international collaborations like the ACT (Advocacy, Coalition Building and Transformative Feminist Action) programme—a partnership between the European Commission and UN Women—are vital. By supporting feminist movements and providing a framework for shared advocacy, these programs help ensure that the voices of the most vulnerable are heard in the halls of power.
Addressing digital violence also requires a fundamental shift in how we view the responsibility of the private sector. For too long, social media platforms have operated under “safe harbor” principles that shielded them from liability for the content they host. However, the rise of AI-powered abuse necessitates a new social contract. Tech companies must be held accountable for the safety of their products, ensuring that “safety by design” is a foundational requirement rather than an afterthought. Digital literacy programs are also essential, helping users navigate the internet safely and fostering a culture of digital respect.
The 2025 UNiTE campaign emphasizes that until the digital space is safe for all women and girls, true gender equality will remain an elusive goal. The internet should be a tool for liberation, not a weapon for subjugation. Closing the legal gaps that leave 1.8 billion women unprotected is not just a legislative necessity; it is a moral imperative.
As the 16 Days of Activism progress, the message is clear: there is #NoExcuse for online abuse. The global community must act with the same speed and innovation as the technologies that are currently being used to harm. By strengthening laws, increasing investment in prevention, and holding both perpetrators and platforms accountable, we can reclaim the digital world as a space of safety, inclusion, and opportunity for every woman and girl, everywhere. The evolution of justice must finally catch up to the evolution of technology.
