Introduction: The rising threat of digital violence
Digital violence is intensifying worldwide, turning online spaces into sites of control, humiliation, and harm for millions of women and girls. While the digital era promised unprecedented connectivity and empowerment, the reality for many is a daily struggle against harassment, doxxing, doxxing, stalking, and abuse that can spill into real life. The United Nations and UN Women highlight that nearly half of the world’s women and girls lack legal protection from digital abuse, leaving vast populations vulnerable and underserved by existing laws.
Why the 16 Days of Activism matter
The 16 Days of Activism, led by UN Women, is a global movement to demand a world where technology acts as a force for equality, not harm. This campaign spotlights policy gaps, educates communities, and champions accountability for perpetrators. It also emphasizes the need for inclusive, gender-sensitive digital governance that safeguards rights while preserving freedom of expression.
What counts as digital violence?
Digital violence encompasses a spectrum of behaviors that undermine safety and dignity online. This includes explicit threats, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, doxxing, public shaming, tailored harassment, and algorithmic biases that marginalize women and girls. When these actions occur with impunity or lack of remedy, they reinforce gender inequality and limit participation in digital life, including education, work, and civic engagement.
Key consequences
Beyond the immediate fear and psychological distress, digital violence can curtail women’s economic opportunities, influence political participation, and erode trust in online platforms. It also reinforces harmful stereotypes and normalizes violence in everyday interactions. Recognizing its broad impact is essential to shaping effective responses at both policy and community levels.
Paths to protection: law, policy, and culture
Protecting women and girls from digital violence requires a multi-pronged approach. First, legal frameworks must explicitly cover online abuse and provide accessible reporting mechanisms, speedy investigations, and meaningful remedies. Second, platforms and regulators should enforce robust safety policies, transparency reports, and accountable design choices that reduce harm, including strong reporting tools and user controls. Third, education and media literacy empower communities to recognize and prevent abuse, while shaping public norms around consent, privacy, and respectful digital conduct.
Practical steps for communities
Organizations, schools, and families can take concrete actions: develop digital safety curricula; promote secure device use and privacy settings; establish clear reporting channels; support survivors with trauma-informed services; and advocate for inclusive policies that consider the needs of marginalized groups, such as rural communities, refugees, and LGBTQ+ individuals. Engaging men and boys as allies is crucial to transforming attitudes and reducing the stigma that often silences victims.
What success looks like
Success means more than legal text on paper. It requires trusted, accessible mechanisms for reporting abuse, timely justice, and platforms designed to protect users without compromising civil liberties. It also means a cultural shift where women and girls can participate in digital life with confidence, free from fear of harassment or discrimination. The 16 Days of Activism is a reminder that technology should empower, not intimidate, and that collective action can turn the tide against digital violence.
Conclusion: A safer internet as a human right
As digital spaces become increasingly central to education, work, and civic life, protecting women and girls from digital violence is not a luxury but a necessity. By aligning law, policy, education, and community action under the banner of the 16 Days of Activism, we can build an online world where technology serves equality and dignity for all.
