Online violence against women human rights defenders, activists and journalists has reached a tipping point, often fueling offline attacks, according to a major new international report.
Tipping point: The chilling escalation of violence against women in the public sphere, shows that 70 per cent of surveyed women have experienced online violence in the course of their work. Furthermore, 41 per cent of respondents reported offline harm linked to online abuse.
Authors of the new report include the European Commission and UN Women’s ACT to End Violence against Women programme, partnering with researchers from TheNerve, City St George’s, University of London and the International Center for Journalists, in collaboration with UNESCO.
They say that without strong countermeasures, online violence risks driving women out of digital spaces, undermining democracy and freedom of expression.
Women threatened
For women journalists, the link between online abuse and offline harm has become more concerning.
In a 2020 global survey published by UNESCO, 20 per cent of women journalists associated the offline attacks or abuse they experienced with online violence.
In the new 2025 survey – conducted by the same researchers and presented in this report – that share of journalists and media workers has more than doubled to 42 per cent.
‘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 who speak up for our human rights, report the news or lead social movements are being targeted with abuse designed to shame, silence and push them out of public debate. Increasingly, those attacks do not stop at the screen – they end at women’s front doors.
‘We cannot allow online spaces to become platforms for intimidation that silence women and undermine democracy,’ she said.
Harm spilling off screen
‘This data shows that in the age of AI-fueled abuse and rising authoritarianism, online violence against women in the public sphere is increasing,’ said Professor Julie Posetti, lead researcher and Director of TheNerve’s Information Integrity Initiative.
‘But what’s truly disturbing is the evidence that women journalists’ experience of offline harm associated with online violence has more than doubled since 2020 – with 42 per cent of 2025 survey participants identifying this dangerous and potentially deadly trajectory.’
The report also finds that close to one in four surveyed women human rights defenders, activists and journalists have experienced AI-assisted online violence, such as deepfake imagery and manipulated content.
Writers and public communicators (e.g., social media content creators and influencers) who focus on human rights issues face the highest exposure, at 30 per cent.
Raising awareness
The report comes as the world wraps up the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
This year’s campaign is dedicated to raising awareness about digital violence, with calls for stronger laws and policies to recognize technology-facilitated violence against women as a human rights violation; robust regulation and accountability for tech companies; safety protocols and support systems for women human rights defenders, activists, journalists; and investment in research and data to monitor trends, understand intersectional impacts, and inform evidence-based policy and practice.
UN Women will close the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign with a corporate strategy to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated violence against women, focused on strengthening accountability, closing evidence and data gaps, accelerating prevention and survivor-centered responses, as well as building greater resilience and amplifying the voices of women’s rights movements and women leaders.
The complete report can be read here.
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