Online safety 101: What every woman and girl should know
What is digital abuse?
Digital abuse (also called technology-facilitated violence against women and girls) covers a wide spectrum of violent behaviors. It can look like:
- Online harassment and cyberstalking: repeated, unwanted messages, cyber-flashing, creepshots, surveillance such as tracking your location, or monitoring your activity.
- Image-based and deepfake abuse: sharing private images without consent, or creating AI-generated sexual content through morphing, splicing, or superimposing photographs and videos to create deepfakes. These are sometimes called revenge porn.
- Violent pornography: images of sexual aggression and gendered violence in pornography widely available on the internet which is normalizing and perpetuating violence against women and girls.
- Trolling, threats, and blackmail: abusive comments designed to silence or intimidate, hate speech against women, threatening to share personal information, photos or videos of someone.
- Digital dating abuse: using apps or social media to control, pressure, or isolate a partner.
- Online grooming: using digital platforms to build trust or a relationship with someone – often a minor – with the intention of sexual exploitation and trafficking.
- Doxxing: publishing personal information online to endanger or intimidate.
- Identity theft: impersonation and the creation of fake profiles.
- Control of access: restricting or monitoring a woman’s access to shared devices, internet, or power sources.
Abuse thrives on silence and the anonymity of perpetrators. It can make you doubt yourself, but recognizing the pattern early is one of the strongest ways to stop it. Don’t blame yourself. Abuse is never your fault. The responsibility always lies with the perpetrator, not the survivor.
There are practical steps you can take immediately:
- Block and report. Where available, use platform tools to cut off contact and file a report. It’s no coincidence that one of the most-asked questions online is, “how to report harassment on Instagram” – millions of women are searching for the same answers.
- Stop the spread. Use tools available to remove private images and videos shared without consent, such as Take it down and Stop non-consensual image-abuse.
- Save the evidence. Screenshots, links, time stamps – keep a record. If you choose to report, this information is vital.
- Tell someone you trust. Don’t carry it alone. Share what’s happening with a friend, family member, or organization you trust.
- Secure your accounts. Enable two-factor authentication, review privacy settings, and check your devices for spyware or tracking apps.
- Seek help. Many countries now have hotlines, NGOs, or police units trained to respond to digital violence. Check out the resources in the section below.
If you see abuse happening, don’t stay silent. Research shows that when bystanders speak up or report harmful behavior, it discourages further attacks and helps platforms detect abuse faster. Small actions – a report, a supportive comment, or sharing a resource – can make a big difference. Most platforms have safety features that let you filter comments, block abusive accounts, and limit who can tag you. Use them. They’re designed to give you back some control.
You can also check the below resources:
- The NO MORE Global Directory is a worldwide directory of sexual violence and domestic abuse helplines and specialist services, covering nearly every country.
- Child Helpline International provides child and youth helplines worldwide (AR)
- Lila helpline connects users to helplines and local services for gender-based violence.
Note: UN Women is not responsible for the information provided by external sources.
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