Digital violence in the Arab States presents an alarming violation of human rights, undermining the safety and well being of women and girls

[Press release]

Cairo, Egypt – On the first day of the global 16 Days of Activism to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls , UN Women’s Regional Office for the Arab States warns that digital violence violates human rights and undermines the safety and well being of females across the region, with devastating consequences on mental health, participation in public life and access to online spaces. To support governments, policymakers and civil society in responding to this fast-evolving threat, UN Women has launched a regional brief, “Digital Violence in the Arab States: Overview and Legal Good Practices”.

The brief reveals alarming trends. In the Arab States, 49 per cent of women internet users report that they do not feel safe from online harassment. Women activists, journalists and human rights defenders are particularly targeted with sustained digital attacks, including harassment, threats and smear campaigns. Digital abuse often spills offline, with 44 per cent of women who experienced online violence over a year stating that the abuse moved into physical spaces, sometimes with fatal consequences.

“Digital spaces are new frontlines for violence against women and girls in our region,” said Dr. Moez Doraid, UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States. “Almost half of women internet users in the Arab States tell us they do not feel safe online. This is pushing women and girls out of digital spaces, silencing their voices, and limiting their participation in public life, in the economy and in decision-making. We cannot speak of progress on the digital front or inclusive development while women and girls are being targeted, threatened and humiliated online. Governments, technology companies and all our partners must act now to close legal gaps, end impunity and make the digital world safe for all women and girls.”

Across the Arab States, women and girls are facing a spectrum of digital abuse that ranges from unwanted sexual images and messages, to insults, hate speech, and harassing calls and messages, as well as doxing, deepfake abuse, impersonation, cyberstalking, astroturfing and disinformation targeting women and girls. Data from UN Women show that in terms of forms of violence, 70 per cent of women activists and human rights defenders reported receiving unwanted sexual images or symbols, 62 per cent had received insulting or hateful messages, and 58 per cent reported harassing phone calls or inappropriate communications. Perpetrators often act with a disturbing sense of entitlement: more than a quarter of men who admitted to committing online violence said they did so because they believed it was their right, while nearly a quarter said they did it for fun.

The impacts are long-lasting. Survivors report high levels of stress, fear and anxiety. 35 per cent of women who experienced online violence reported feeling sad or depressed; 12 per cent reported having suicidal thoughts. One in five women who experienced online violence deleted or deactivated their social media accounts, and many others significantly reduced their online presence or self-censored, undermining their ability to exercise their rights, access information and participate in public life.

Despite the scale of the problem, most laws globally and in the Arab States still do not comprehensively define or address technology-facilitated violence against women and girls. Legislative reforms often lag behind rapid technological change, leaving serious gaps in prevention, protection and accountability. The brief highlights promising practices from the region, including reforms in Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where violence against women and girls, sexual harassment and cybercrime laws have begun to extend women and girls’ protections into the digital sphere and penalize acts such as non-consensual sharing of images, online harassment and misuse of personal data. However, these advances remain partial and fragmented, and many women and girls still face digital abuse with little or no legal recourse.

The regional brief calls for zero tolerance for digital violence against women and girls in the Arab States. It urges governments to criminalize all forms of digital violence and strengthen the capacity of law enforcement and justice actors to investigate, prosecute and sanction perpetrators. It emphasizes the need for survivor-centred services, including specialized support, legal aid and safe reporting mechanisms. It stresses that technology companies must be held accountable through stronger content moderation, rapid removal of harmful content, transparent reporting systems and policies that are aligned with human rights standards. The brief further underscores the importance of enhancing digital literacy and resilience for women and girls, investing in prevention and social norm change, and supporting feminist and women’s rights organizations leading efforts to make digital spaces safer.

Throughout the 16 Days of Activism, UN Women and its partners across the Arab States region will roll out a series of regional and country-level initiatives to amplify these messages and promote concrete action. This includes  digital campaigns that will bring together women with public visibility and digital advocates, and highlight diverse profiles contributing to respond to violence against women and girls on and offline; an institutional conference on ending violence against women and girls taking place in Amman;. and national activities led by UN Women offices and partners in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. These actions aim to raise awareness, support legislative and policy reforms, and promote safe, inclusive digital environments where women and girls can exercise their rights free from violence.

The 16 Days of Activism  is a global campaign led by UN Women under the United Nations, UNiTE to End Violence against Women initiative. It runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day. In 2025, the campaign focuses on ending technology-facilitated violence against women and girls - one of the fastest-evolving forms of abuse worldwide - and calls on governments, technology companies and communities to act now to strengthen laws, end impunity and hold platforms accountable, while investing in prevention, digital literacy and survivor-centred services.

Until digital spaces are safe for all women and girls, true equality will remain out of reach, online and offline.