Vienna, 10 December 2025 - To mark the
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, UNODC, in collaboration with UN Women, convened a
webinar entitled Addressing Digital Violence Against Women and Girls: Criminal Justice Responses, Emerging Opportunities, and Challenges. The event aimed to raise awareness, share insights, and foster multistakeholder dialogue on technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (VAWG).
The discussion took place within the context of a public webinar with participation from around the globe, bringing together experts and practitioners, as well as members of the public. Leaders and practitioners from the United Nations, the diplomatic community, research institutions, law enforcement, international charitable organizations, and the technology sector discussed the challenges and potential solutions related to technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, a multifaceted issue that affects not only women and girls but also men and boys, with far-reaching implications for societies worldwide.
The session opened by highlighting the alarming scale of violence against women and girls, noting that in 2024, 60 per cent of victims are killed by intimate partners or family members, according to an updated UNODC–UN Women research report.
One of the key themes discussed was the rising prevalence of non-consensual intimate image (NCII) abuse. Participants pointed to tools such as
StopNCII.org, which is part of SWGfL (South West Grid for Learning) and was launched in collaboration with Meta in 2021. This innovative technology is used to protect people from the sharing of their intimate images online.
In addition to efforts to address NCII abuse, the conversation shifted to the need for robust legal frameworks and technical solutions, both of which are critical to tackling the issue. Experts underscored the importance of proactive detection of harmful content, particularly child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and stressed the need for both proactive detection and strong enforcement.
Experts also linked technology-facilitated violence against women and girls with offline violence, emphasizing that technology can enable harm, both online and offline. A key point of discussion was the need for early intervention and prevention programs. Experts stressed that effectively addressing online violence requires a proactive, multi-layered approach that starts with education and prevention.
Law enforcement representatives pointed to gaps in policing capacity and called for trauma-informed, gender-responsive training, as well as enhanced collaboration between authorities, communities, and platforms. The importance of equipping individuals with the tools to recognize and respond to digital harms at an early stage was highlighted, which in turn helps to reduce the incidence of both digital and offline violence.
In conclusion, experts agreed that digital and physical violence are inseparable and called for stronger laws, full implementation of the UN Cybercrime Convention, and long-term cross-sector collaboration.
