Online Violence Against Women Activists Reaches Tipping Point, New Global Report Finds

The findings come as the world concludes the 2025 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, which this year focused on combating technology-facilitated violence against women.

 

Online violence targeting women human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and public communicators has escalated to alarming levels, now directly fueling offline attacks and undermining democratic participation, according to a major new report released by the European Commission and UN Women’s ACT to End Violence against Women programme. The report was developed in partnership with researchers from TheNerve, City St George’s, University of London, the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), and in collaboration with UNESCO.

The publication, Tipping point: The chilling escalation of violence against women in the public sphere, reveals that 70% of surveyed women have experienced online violence in the course of their work—an unprecedented high. Even more concerning, 41% reported experiencing offline harm directly linked to online abuse.

A Growing Crisis: Online Abuse Turning Into Real-World Violence

The report highlights the increasingly dangerous overlap between digital abuse and real-world targeting. The trajectory is particularly alarming for women journalists:

• In UNESCO’s 2020 global survey, 20% of women journalists reported offline attacks connected to online abuse.

• In the new 2025 survey, that number has more than doubled to 42%, signaling a rapidly deteriorating safety environment for women in media.

“These figures confirm that digital violence is not virtual – it’s real violence with real-world consequences,” said Sarah Hendricks, Director of Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division at UN Women. “Women reporting on human rights or leading social movements are being targeted with abuse designed to shame, silence, and push them out of public debate.”

The Rise of AI-Assisted Abuse

The report warns that the age of AI-fueled harassment is accelerating harm:

• Nearly 1 in 4 women surveyed experienced AI-assisted online violence—such as deepfakes, manipulated videos, and fabricated content designed to humiliate or discredit them.

• Women public writers, influencers, and content creators focusing on human rights face the highest exposure, at 30%.

Professor Julie Posetti, lead researcher and Director of TheNerve’s Information Integrity Initiative, emphasized the severity: “In the age of AI-fueled abuse and rising authoritarianism, online violence against women is escalating. The doubling of offline harm linked to online attacks shows a dangerous—and potentially deadly—trend.”

Digital Violence Threatens Democracy and Freedom of Expression

The report warns that without strong countermeasures, online violence risks forcing women out of digital spaces, weakening press freedom, shrinking civic participation, and undermining democratic debate. Women who speak out—whether in journalism, activism, politics, or public communication—face targeted harassment intended to intimidate and silence them.

Released During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

The findings come as the world concludes the 2025 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, which this year focused on combating technology-facilitated violence against women.

Global advocates are calling for:

• Stronger laws and policies recognizing digital violence as a human rights violation

• Regulation and accountability for technology companies

• Protection systems and rapid-response mechanisms for women human rights defenders and journalists

• Investment in research to understand how digital violence impacts different groups

• Survivor-centred support models, including psychosocial and legal assistance

UN Women’s New Corporate Strategy

UN Women will close the campaign by announcing a new corporate strategy to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated violence against women. This strategy focuses on:

• Strengthening institutional accountability

• Closing data and evidence gaps

• Scaling prevention efforts

• Enhancing survivor-centred response mechanisms

• Amplifying the voices of women’s rights movements and frontline defenders

UN Women stresses that urgent, coordinated global action is needed to ensure women can safely participate in public life—both online and offline—without fear of violence.