- Enough. The violence you type is violence you commit: #NoExcuse for online abuse against women
- From screens to scars: The war on women in the digital age must end
- Hooliganism breeds from keyboards: Your abuse is real violence — and women are paying the price
- There is — and always will be — #NoExcuse for online abuse.
The digital world was supposed to open doors for women and girls — widening opportunities, amplifying their voices, and offering a space for learning, expression, and community.
Instead, for millions, it has become a battleground where misogyny thrives unchecked and violence is only a click away.
According to ‘UN Women’ every day, women are hunted, harassed, humiliated, threatened, and silenced by strangers hiding behind screens. What begins as a comment, a message, or a post can escalate into a nightmare no woman deserves to endure — stolen private photos, deepfakes created to shame them, threats that follow them offline, homes and workplaces infiltrated by fear, and reputations shattered with a single viral lie.
This ‘16 Days of Activism (25 November – 10 December)’, one message must be louder than the abuse: There is absolutely #NoExcuse for online violence against women. The statistics are alarming — yet the reality facing women is far worse.
One in three women will experience gender-based violence in their lifetime. Between 16 and 58 percent of women and girls are subjected to digital violence.
An estimated 90 to 95 percent of all deepfake videos circulating online are sexualized fabrications targeting women. Behind these numbers are real human stories. Journalists who abandon their work after receiving death threats. Girls who lose their confidence before they ever discover their own voices. Activists who deactivate their accounts simply to protect their families. Women who are stalked, raped, or even killed.
Online violence does not remain contained in the digital sphere. It spills into real life, inflicting emotional, psychological, and physical harm that cannot be erased with a click.
A Digital World Turning Against Women
The rise of the manosphere — a toxic ecosystem of misogynistic influencers, trolls, and hate-driven communities — is accelerating violence across social platforms. In this environment, lies spread faster than truth, deepfakes distort reality, and hate becomes normalized. This growing online poison is influencing how entire generations perceive and treat women.
Meanwhile, millions of women, particularly those in rural or low-income communities, continue to face unequal access to technology — a gap that leaves them even more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
AI: A New Weapon in an Old War
Artificial intelligence, a technology once hailed for its potential to uplift humanity, is increasingly being turned into a weapon against women.
AI-generated deepfakes are being used for blackmail. Location tracking and data leaks allow abusers to monitor and control. Manipulated images are deployed to shame, silence, and destroy reputations. Instead of empowering women, technology is being repurposed to amplify gendered violence.
What Must Happen Now
Ending digital violence requires bold, decisive action — not excuses. Hold perpetrators accountable. Stronger laws, swift prosecutions, and real consequences for digital harassment, stalking, and deepfake abuse are essential. Force tech companies to protect women.
Platforms must hire more women, design safer systems, remove harmful content quickly, and respond to reports of abuse with urgency rather than indifference; fund survivors and the organizations protecting them.
Women’s rights groups around the world are shutting down due to cuts in aid and resources. These organizations are the first line of defense — and they urgently need support.
Invest in prevention and education.
Digital literacy, online safety training, and initiatives that challenge toxic online cultures must become priorities. Online abuse is violence — and it ends only when we refuse to tolerate it
Every woman and girl deserve the freedom to thrive — not tiptoe around digital landmines planted by cowards hiding behind screens. Every society that claims to value women must act. Every government must enforce its laws. Every technology platform must take responsibility.
And every man must examine the culture he participates in — and choose to be better. This is not a fight for women alone. It is a fight for humanity, dignity, and decency. To the abusers, the trolls, and the cowards: the world is watching. Your time is up.
There is — and always will be — #NoExcuse for online abuse.
