Violence against women and girls represents the most prevalent human rights violation globally. Worldwide assessments indicate that this rapidly-deteriorating epidemic threatens societies in various contexts, particularly through online platforms.
- Alarming Facts about Digital Violence against Women and Girls:
• 38% of women experience online violence, while 85% have witnessed digital violence against others.
• Disinformation and defamation are the most prevalent forms of digital violence against women, with 67% of women and girls reporting that they have experienced them.
• UN: Deepfakes posted online are pornographic images produced without consent, and approximately 90% of them feature women.
- Legal and Technical Challenges:
This escalating form of violence against women and girls arises from several factors, including:
• Losing technical controls and lack of effective regulation.
• The absence of legal recognition of this type of abuse in some countries. Less than 40% of countries have laws protecting women from online harassment or stalking, leaving 44% of the world's women and girls—1.8 billion—without legal protection.
• Insufficient accountability on digital platforms, leading to the emergence of new and rapidly evolving forms of abuse, facilitated by intelligent systems.
On this occasion, AOCE calls upon all concerned entities and the international community to act decisively to bridge the legal and technical gap and provide a safe and supportive space for women's freedom of expression and participation. In addition, AOCE emphasizes that this type of violation does not represent all the violations women face globally. Other forms of violence include domestic violence, rape and sexual violence, harassment, forced child marriage, human trafficking, violations resulting from wars and armed conflicts, and other harmful practices that require a comprehensive international, societal, and legal response to guarantee human dignity and women's rights everywhere.