Tech/Online Abuse

As technology mediates more of our daily lives, it is also being weaponized to harm women and girls in new and alarming ways. Although not a new phenomenon, technology-facilitated violence against women and girls has surged rapidly in recent years, posing serious threats to the safety and well-being of women and girls everywhere. What starts as online abuse can swiftly spiral into danger that extends beyond screens and borders, making it impossible for many women to feel safe at home, work, or in public spaces. No one should have to live in fear just for existing online. The digital world should be a safe space for everyone.

A digital illustration of a laptop with various connected icons representing digital communication, networking, shopping, and technology against a blue abstract background of binary code and digital elements.

Take doxing, for example, which is the act of sharing someone’s personal information online. It can lead to real-life consequences such as stalking, threats, and even physical violence. Or consider deepfake abuse, where manipulated images or videos of someone published online can then result in offline reputational damage with lasting and devastating effects on a person’s life. These examples show the complexities of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls and how its scope can be harder to define, as harm often permeates both online and offline spaces. 

The digital revolution has both exacerbated existing forms of gender-based violence and created new forms of abuse (such as hacking, astroturfing, video and image-based abuse including deepfakes, doxing, cyberbullying, and online grooming among others).

More formally known as technology-facilitated abuse, this refers to any act that is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by the use of information communication technologies or other digital tools, that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or other infringements of rights and freedoms. 

What is tech abuse?

A young woman sitting on the floor with her hand on her forehead, looking distressed. Surrounding her are various social media and messaging app icons with notification badges, including Instagram, Facebook, and messaging app icons. Text messages overlaid on the image include confrontational and upset messages such as 'I really hate you FYI,' 'don't talk to me anymore!!,' and 'I wish you would just leave me alone.' The background appears dark and emotional, with red and gray lighting.

Common forms of digital abuse

  • Sexual harassment

  • Stalking

  • Unwanted messages

  • Social Media posts

  • Phone calls

  • Cyberbullying

  • Misinformation

  • Image based abuse (sharing intimate photos without consent)

  • Hate speech

  • Sexual exploitation

  • Defamation

  • Impersonation

  • Intimate image-sharing

  • Sextortion

  • Revenge porn

Who is most at risk?

While everyone may experience digital abuse, some groups are at greater risk.

  • Young women and girls: Given that girls and young women are more likely to use technology for learning, accessing information and connecting to peers, they also face increased exposure to online violence. One global study found that 58 per cent of girls and young women have experienced some form of online harassment.  

  • Women who face multiple forms of discrimination: Women with disabilities, Black and indigenous women and other women of color, migrant women, and LGBTQ+ people all face higher risks of digital violence.  

  • Women in political and public life: Human rights defenders, activists, journalists and lawmakers face increased rates of violence both online and offline too. A UNESCO study found that 73 percent of women journalists experienced online violence in the course of their work. The Inter-Parliamentary Union found that 1 in 3 African women parliamentarians had experienced online attacks. 

Three digital illustrations depicting different types of online abuse: the first shows a woman distressed while looking at her phone, the second features three women taking selfies and raising awareness with a hashtag, and the third illustrates a woman overwhelmed by negative online content with her hands on her face in front of a digital screen.

What can be done?

  • Enhance cooperation between governments, the technology sector, women’s rights organizations, and civil society to strengthen policies to protect women and prevent violence from happening in the first place. 

  • Address data gaps to improve understanding of the causes of such violence, the profiles of perpetrators, and to inform prevention and response efforts. 

  • Develop and implement laws and regulations with the input from survivors and women’s organizations. 

  • Hold the tech industry accountable by establishing transparency and accountability standards on digital violence and the use of data across digital platforms. 

  • Integrate digital citizenship and ethical use of digital tools into school curricula to foster a culture of respect and empathy both online and in real life. Sensitize young people—especially young men and boys—caregivers, and educators about ethical and responsible online behavior. 

  • Empower women and girls to participate and lead in the technology sector, to inform the design and use of safe digital tools and spaces free of violence. 

  • Transform harmful social norms by promoting positive masculinities and challenging harmful and misogynistic narratives including through harnessing technology and AI. 

    Ensure that public and private sector entities prioritize the prevention and elimination of digital violence, through human rights-based design approaches, safety by design, and adequate investments.