Worrying escalation of online violence against women human rights activists, journalists - Report
New York, US (PANA) - Online violence against women human rights defenders, activists and journalists has reached a critical point, affecting 7 out of 10 women. These attacks often fuel offline attacks: four out of ten women interviewed said they had experienced offline attacks linked to the digital violence they had previously suffered.
This data was presented this Tuesday in a new report by the European Commission and UN Women's "Act to End Violence against Women" programme, in partnership with researchers from TheNerve, the University of London and the International Centre for Journalists, in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
The report, titled "Tipping Point: The Alarming Escalation of Violence Against Women in the Public Sphere," is being released as part of the global 16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. This year's campaign aims to raise awareness of online violence, calling for stronger laws and policies to better recognise it and punish perpetrators.
“These figures confirm that digital violence is not virtual: it is very real violence, with concrete consequences,” said Sarah Hendricks, Director of the Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Affairs Division at UN Women.
For women journalists, the link between online and offline violence has become increasingly concerning.
According to a 2020 UNESCO global survey, 20% of women journalists associated offline attacks or violence they had experienced with online violence. This proportion of journalists and media professionals more than doubled by 2025, reaching 42%.
This data coincides with "the era of AI-powered abuse and rising authoritarianism, which exacerbate online violence against women in the public sphere", said Professor Julie Posetti, senior research fellow and director of TheNerve 's Information Integrity Initiative .
The report also reveals that nearly one in four women human rights defenders, activists, and journalists surveyed have experienced AI-facilitated online violence, such as deepfakes. Authors and social media content creators focusing on human rights issues are the most vulnerable (30%).
Beyond these alarming figures, the report warns that without effective countermeasures, online violence risks driving women out of digital spaces, thereby compromising democracy and freedom of expression.
“Women who defend our human rights, who cover the news or who lead social movements are the target of abuses aimed at humiliating them, silencing them and excluding them from public debate,” Ms. Hendricks lamented.
“Increasingly, these attacks are not stopping at the screen: they are happening right up to their doorstep. We cannot allow online spaces to become platforms for intimidation that silence women and undermine democracy,” she added.
-0- PANA MA 10Dec2025
