16 Days of Activism 2025: Digital Violence & Women Online Safety

From 25th November to 10th December 2025, women and allies around the world will unite for the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence, under this year’s powerful theme:

UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls

Violence against women remains one of the most widespread human rights violations, affecting one in three women worldwide. Today, much of this harm has moved online, where technology is being used as a new weapon of abuse. As the world marks 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, this year’s campaign reminds us that digital safety is women’s safety, and gender equality cannot exist without it.

What Digital Abuse Looks Like

Digital abuse uses technology to intimidate, control, or silence women and girls. It takes many different forms, including:

• Image-based abuse – the non-consensual sharing of intimate photos or videos (“revenge porn” or leaks).
• Cyberbullying and trolling – targeted insults, humiliation, or threats online.
• Online sexual harassment – unwanted sexual advances, messages, or images.
• AI-generated deepfakes – manipulated photos, videos, or audio made to shame or exploit women.
• Hate speech and disinformation – online attacks that spread misogyny or lies.
• Doxxing – sharing personal information to intimidate or endanger.
• Digital stalking or surveillance – monitoring someone’s online or real-world movements.
• Online grooming and exploitation – targeting girls and young women for manipulation or abuse.
• Catfishing and impersonation – using fake profiles to deceive or harm.
• Misogynistic networks – online spaces that encourage violence or hatred towards women.

These violations don’t stay online; they often lead to offline harm, including emotional trauma, coercion, physical abuse, and even femicide. Women with public or visible roles such as activists, journalists, politicians, and creators face especially high risks, but every woman online deserves safety and respect.

Why Digital Abuse Continues

Digital spaces were not built with women’s safety in mind. Many survivors struggle for justice because of:

• Weak or outdated laws that fail to recognize online abuse.
• Lack of accountability from tech platforms that profit from engagement, not safety.
• Anonymity of abusers, often hiding behind screens.
• AI tools that make harassment easier to create and spread.
• Toxic online cultures that normalize misogyny and punish women for speaking out.

Signs of Change

Progress is being made thanks to relentless advocacy by women’s and digital rights movements:

• The 2024 Global Digital Compact set international standards for safer, more ethical tech and AI use.
• The UN Cybercrime Convention became the first binding treaty to address digital violence.
• The UN General Assembly’s 2024 resolution on Violence Against Women in Digital Environments called for stronger regulation and survivor-centered policies.
• New global tools are being developed to measure and track technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

These milestones show that when women demand accountability, change follows.

How You Can Take Action

Every voice matters. During the 16 Days of Activism, you can:

• Speak up online – challenge harassment, support survivors, and promote respectful digital spaces.
• Host or join workshops – learn about digital safety, data privacy, and online protection tools.
• Support local organizations working to end gender-based violence and empower women online.
• Encourage policy change – call on governments and tech companies to protect women’s rights online.
• Wear orange, the color of hope and solidarity, to show your commitment to a world free from violence.

Support Services for Victims of Digital Abuse in Malta

Together, women and allies everywhere can transform the digital world into a space of freedom, dignity, and equality. Join the global conversation from 25 November to 10 December during this year’s 16 days of activism 2025 using #NoExcuse and #ACTtoEndViolence and take your stand against digital abuse.

Reference

UN Women (2025). 16 Days of Activism 2025: End digital violence against all women and girls. Retrieved from https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/unite/theme on 6th November 2025

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