The impact is devastating, with victims often experiencing emotional distress, reputational damage, and even physical harm.
The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other digital technological tools are amplifying existing patterns of violence against women and girls, creating new forms of abuse and exploitation, the United Nations Women has said.
The agency, in a statement on Monday to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, said that the statistics are alarming, with 90 to 95 per cent of all deepfakes online being sexualised images of women.
According to the agency, image-based sexual exploitation, deepfakes, and coordinated online harassment are just a few examples of the dangers women and girls face online.
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Also, girls and adolescents are particularly vulnerable, facing cyberbullying, online dating abuse, and grooming in online spaces.
The agency noted that the rapid advancement of AI has made it easier for perpetrators to create and disseminate explicit images and videos without consent, further victimising women and girls.
The agency said that studies have shown that up to 58 per cent of women and 20 per cent of girls face some form of digital violence, although the true scale remains under-reported and insufficiently recognised.
The situation is worsening by the day, with verified AI-generated child sexual abuse material seeing a 380 per cent increase in 2024 compared to 2023, the agency said.
It said women in public life--including journalists, politicians, human rights defenders, and activists--face heightened exposure to digital attacks with deeply damaging consequences.
"Attacks can silence women's and girls' voices in public life and deter their participation in political and democratic processes, leadership, peace processes, and decision-making," the statement reads.
"Women facing intersecting forms of discrimination--such as girls and women with disabilities, of colour, rural women, and girls and women of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities--are disproportionately targeted and at risk of digital economic exploitation and abuse."
"Manosphere"
The agency noted that the growing "manosphere" and related ecosystems are contributing to the propagation of harmful norms that justify online and physical abuse.
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According to the United Nations Secretary General's report on violence against women and girls, manosphere is a loose network of communities that claim to address men's struggles - dating, fitness or fatherhood, for example - but often promote harmful advice and attitudes.
Technological companies'role
The UN Women noted that technology companies have a vital role in creating and maintaining safe and equitable spaces online, including promoting accountability and reporting, deleting, or blocking harmful content on their platforms.
The agency also urged the digital companies to be preventive rather than reactive to online gender-based violence starting from the initial design of safe and ethical technology and ensuring digital platforms protect users rather than expose them to harm.
It also calls on government and civil society to hold perpetrators of online and offline violence accountable through robust, rights-based legislation aligned with digital governance frameworks.
Marked on 25 November annually, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is a global call to end all forms of violence against women and girls, raise awareness of the harms they face, and mobilise action to protect their rights and safety.
The theme for 2025 is "UNiTE to end digital violence against all women and girls.
