16 Days of Activism: Why Digital Violence Against Women Demands Our Attention

Image: UN Women

Every ten minutes last year, a woman or girl was intentionally killed by a partner or family member. That's 137 women and girls every single day—around 50,000 over the course of 2024. These aren't abstract numbers. They're mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, colleagues—people with dreams and plans and voices that were silenced.

And increasingly, that violence starts long before physical harm occurs. It begins with a message. A threat. A stolen photo. A deepfake created by artificial intelligence. The latest UN report shows that technology-facilitated violence—like cyberstalking, coercive control, and image-based abuse—can be a risk factor that escalates offline and, in some cases, leads to femicide.

When screens become weapons

From November 25 through December 10, the world marks the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. This year's theme—"UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls"—addresses one of the fastest-growing forms of abuse women face.

What starts small on screens can quickly spiral into threats and violence in real life. Private photos get stolen and shared without consent. Lies spread within seconds. Women's locations are tracked. AI gets weaponized to create deepfakes designed to shame and silence.

The digital world should empower women and girls. Instead, for millions of them, it's become a minefield.

Who's affected most?

Digital violence targets women more than men, especially those with public or online visibility—activists, journalists, women in politics, human rights defenders, and young women. The impact hits even harder for women facing other forms of discrimination based on race, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

Adolescent girls face some of the greatest risks. Their social and emotional development increasingly happens online, in spaces filled with gender bias and misogyny that can fuel lasting harm.

Consider the journalist who stops writing after death threats. The activist who deletes her accounts to protect her family. The girl who loses confidence before she's even found her voice.

Why the focus on digital violence now?

Several factors have converged to make digital violence a crisis that can't be ignored:

Weak regulation of the technology sector means there's often no legal recognition of digital violence in many countries. Tech platforms lack accountability. Misogynistic content in the so-called "manosphere" fuels abuse and spreads hate. When these toxic ideas go viral, they shape how entire generations see and treat women and girls.

AI has created new forms of abuse and amplified existing violence. There's a growing backlash against gender equality. The anonymity of perpetrators and cross-border nature of online abuse make it harder to get justice. Support systems for survivors remain limited.

And here's the thing: this is happening at a time when sweeping aid cuts are forcing women's organizations around the world to shut down or drastically scale back programs to end violence against women.

Progress and the road ahead

There's been some movement in the right direction. Thanks to years of advocacy by feminist and digital rights movements, major progress has been made. In 2024, the UN Statistical Commission called for the development of global methods to measure technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Regional bodies have acted too—from the African Union's Convention on Ending Violence against Women and Girls to the EU's Digital Services Act.

But we can't stop there.

#NoExcuse for violence

There is #NoExcuse for violence against women and girls. Nearly one in three women experience violence in their lifetime. For adolescent girls, the statistics are even more concerning: one in four is abused by their partners.

This year's 16 Days of Activism campaign has clear calls to action for different groups:

Governments need to pass and enforce laws that criminalize digital violence, protect personal information, and strengthen tech sector accountability.

Tech companies must ensure platform safety, remove harmful content quickly, enforce codes of conduct, and publish transparent reports about how they're addressing abuse.

Donors should invest in feminist organizations working to end violence against women and support digital rights advocates.

All of us can speak out, support survivors, and challenge harmful online norms. We can build critical thinking skills around online content, consent, and respectful relationships.

The bigger picture

The 16 Days of Activism runs from November 25 — the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women — through December 10, which is International Human Rights Day. That connection isn't accidental.

Violence against women is a human rights issue. And as we approach the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 2025—one of the most important international agreements on women's rights—this campaign serves as a reminder that digital safety is central to gender equality.

Women belong online. Girls belong online. But they deserve to be there safely.

What comes next

Violence against women and girls can and must be prevented. This requires ending impunity by holding perpetrators accountable. It means adopting, implementing, and funding National Action Plans to end violence against women and girls. It calls for investing in prevention and women's rights organizations to ensure survivors have access to essential services.

The work isn't easy. But better to try, better to be on the right side of history, better to do the part that each of us can do.

Because there's #NoExcuse for violence. Not in person. Not online. Not anywhere.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence runs from November 25 to December 10. Learn more about how to get involved at UN Women.

Follow the conversation using #NoExcuse and #16Days.