Digital Abuse in Focus: UN Campaign Demands Stronger Laws Against Online Gender-Based Violence
SDG 5: Gender Equality | SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Institutions: Ministry of Women and Child Development | Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology
The United Nations has launched its annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign (November 25 to December 10, 2025), centering its global theme on “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”. The campaign highlights the sharp and accelerating rise of Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls (TF VAWG), noting that 16% to 58% of women worldwide have experienced some form of digital abuse. This abuse includes cyberstalking, harassment, gendered disinformation, image-based abuse and the weaponization of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create manipulated sexual content, with an estimated 90% to 95% of deepfake videos circulating online being sexualized images of women.
The UN stresses that digital violence is not merely “virtual,” but has real-world consequences that silence women’s voices and restrict their participation in public and digital life. The campaign demands that governments criminalize digital violence, hold technology companies accountable for safer platforms, and expand legal and psychological support for survivors. In India, the campaign is supported locally, with high-profile voices like actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu partnering with UN Women India to advocate for stronger laws and platform accountability.
Policy Relevance
The global focus on technology-facilitated violence underscores the urgent need for India to ensure its legal and institutional frameworks can address evolving digital threats. Successful policy implementation requires synchronizing India’s stringent new laws (e.g., the Telecommunication Cyber Security Rules, 2025) with updated criminal statutes and mandates on technology companies to ensure they implement safety features that keep pace with AI and deepfake technology.
What is Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls (TF VAWG)?→ Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls (TF VAWG) is any act committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) or digital tools that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm. TF VAWG is often part of a continuum of abuse; its online manifestations—such as coercive control and surveillance—frequently escalate into real-life physical violence and femicide.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How will the government ensure its legal frameworks keep pace with AI-driven crimes like deepfakes and enforce robust accountability standards on large social media platforms to protect women’s safety and public participation?
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