UN Women and Croatia Call for Global Action to Stop Online Violence Against Women

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković captured the connection between digital abuse and everyday life in his opening remarks, saying, “Online violence is not simply a digital problem.”

The damage caused by online violence does not disappear when someone closes an app or puts down their phone, a reality that shaped a ministerial discussion hosted by Croatia and UN Women on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Held on 23 September 2026, the G77 and Emerging Partners Ministerial Roundtable brought governments, survivors, civil society, technology experts and young people together to discuss how digital progress can support equality without opening new routes for abuse against women and girls.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković captured the connection between digital abuse and everyday life in his opening remarks, saying, "Online violence is not simply a digital problem." UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous stressed that women must be able to participate safely in digital and public spaces, with a meaningful role in shaping the technologies that increasingly influence their lives.

Laws Need to Deliver Protection People Can Use

The discussion reflected growing recognition that technology-facilitated violence is a gender equality and human rights issue requiring stronger prevention, services and accountability. UN Women's Global Database on Violence against Women and Girls tracks government responses, including measures addressing technology-facilitated abuse, and highlights the continuing need for stronger laws and support systems. The challenge for governments is making protection accessible through institutions equipped to respond when someone seeks help.

Ministers described responses taking shape in their countries, with Türkiye highlighting stronger legislation and digital safety initiatives, and Nigeria calling attention to legal gaps and the need for coordinated support across police, courts and social services that puts survivors' needs first. Bangladesh pressed for international cooperation and shared approaches to digital harassment, and Croatia outlined legal reforms and the use of digital tools to improve access to justice. These contributions brought the conversation into the practical work of making legal protection function in people's lives.

Survivors Put Prevention at the Centre

Scharliina Eräpuro, a survivor advocate and founder of the Little Girl Project, asked participants to consider what could stop violence before someone has to endure it. "Do not ask what happened to us. Ask what would have protected us," she said, grounding the discussion in survivors' experiences and reinforcing the need to treat abuse online as connected to violence in the physical world. Her intervention placed prevention alongside the responsibility to provide care after harm occurs.

Sasha Havlicek of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue examined the broader spread of misogyny online, including how algorithms can amplify harmful content targeting young men. Delegates from Finland, Guatemala, Iraq, Montenegro, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom contributed perspectives, joined by representatives from IBM, New York University and a youth advocate. The range of participants reflected the shared responsibility of public institutions, businesses, researchers and communities in tackling the conditions that allow abuse to spread.

Safer Technology Requires Action Across Borders

Participants called for faster, coordinated action across governments, civil society and the private sector, with technology companies building safety, privacy and human rights into products from the beginning. Governments were urged to make laws enforceable and give responsible institutions adequate resources, connecting legal commitments with the capacity to investigate abuse, deliver justice and support those affected.

For survivors, protection must include accessible, confidential and sustained support from frontline responders who have the resources to provide it. Young people need digital literacy that helps them navigate online spaces, and men and boys must take part in challenging the attitudes and social norms that enable abuse. Technology operates across national boundaries, making international cooperation essential to a response that protects women and girls wherever harm originates.