Digitisation for Good!

UNiTIng to End Digital Violence Against Women

This 16 Days of Activism, the global movement brings governments, organisations, and communities together to confront one of society’s most persistent injustices: gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), under the theme “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against Women.” Recognising the urgency of this time as 85% of women report witnessing digital violence.

Digitisation for Good is the belief that technology is a force for empowerment and protection when used responsibly.

Digital violence, referred to as Technology-Facilitated Violence (TFV) by UN Women in its 2024 report, is any act committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified through digital tools or information technologies that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or violations of rights and freedoms. This includes:

• Cyberbullying and cyberstalking

• Online harassment or trolling

• Doxxing (sharing private information to intimidate or harm)

• Non-consensual sharing of images

• Sextortion or coercion

• Deepfake abuse
  

The report reveals that misinformation and defamation are the most common forms of online violence against women, with 67% of survivors reporting these tactics. Seventy-three per cent of women journalists have experienced online violence, and 300 million children have been affected by online sexual exploitation and abuse in the past year.

Emerging Tech-Enabled Threats

• Anti-rights actors: Online spaces are increasingly exploited to undermine women’s rights, creating a hostile digital environment marked by cyberbullying, harassment, and threats. Women journalists reporting on politics face coordinated smear campaigns, while activists advocating for reproductive rights are often threatened or doxxed. This is exemplified by Reggie Moalusi, executive director of the National Editors' Forum (SANEF), who reported at a recent Centre for Analytics and Behavioural Change and TikTok roundtable on ‘tech-facilitated gender-based violence’ that online attacks against women journalists have become “deeply personal.” He explained, “It’s always the female journalists who are singled out. We’ve seen threats where someone tweets your address.”
  

• Technology and misogynistic norms: Like all forms of violence against women and girls, TFV is rooted in gender inequality and discriminatory norms. Online spaces increasingly fuel misogyny and normalize violence against women and girls. Examples include social media threads degrading women for speaking publicly, trolling campaigns targeting women in male-dominated industries, and abusive memes about female leaders. A recent case in South Africa involved a leaked WhatsApp group in which men discussed exploiting female students, including plans to get them intoxicated to take advantage of them. This incident illustrates how private digital spaces can reinforce predatory behaviour and normalize the abuse of women and girls.
  

• The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is intensifying TFV by enabling the rapid spread of targeted disinformation and facilitating image-based abuse. Deepfake videos have been used to harass or blackmail women, while AI-powered bots amplify false narratives aimed at discrediting women in politics or public life. According to a recent UN global report, up to 95% of online deepfakes involve non-consensual intimate imagery, and 99% of those targeted are women.
  

Now, amid these rising digital threats, Digitisation for Good shows how technology can be a force for women and girls rather than a threat. By putting empowerment, safety, and responsible use at the center, digital spaces can become places that protect, uplift, and include everyone. Here’s how technology can turn the tide and be part of the solution, not the problem:

• Accountability and Transparency: Hold platforms and tech developers responsible for harmful content, with clear moderation, swift response systems, and transparent AI practices.
  

• Inclusion and Representation: Involve more women in tech design, development, and leadership to prevent gender biases being baked into digital tools.
  

• Digital Literacy and Awareness: Equip users with the knowledge to recognise, report, and respond to online abuse, disinformation, and manipulative AI content.
  

• Ethical Tech Design: Build AI and digital tools with ethics in mind, ensuring they protect rather than harm, and actively prevent abuse.
  

• Legal and Policy Safeguards: Advocate for strong laws and policies that defend women online, hold abusers accountable, and ensure justice for victims.
  

  

Technology‑facilitated violence inflicts real harm – from psychological, social, political, and economic damage, to violations of rights and freedoms, and in the worst cases, escalating to physical violence and femicide. In response, Digitisation for Good turns the tide: making technology protect and empower women, rather than enabling their targeting. It’s a matter of design, accountability, and skills in creating digital spaces where people can participate safely, speak freely, and live without fear. Done well, the digital world can reflect the empowerment it promises.

“The future of the world is technology — and there is no future without women and girls.”— Dr. Phumzile Mlambo‑Ngcuka, Former Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Executive Director of UN Women.