We must tackle digital violence to fight gender inequality

Every year, the global community observes countless designated days, organises events, undertakes projects, and spends millions with the aim of eradicating gender-based violence against women and girls. Yet, despite decades of effort, the needle has barely moved. Globally, around 73.6 crore women—nearly one in three—have faced gender-based violence in their lifetime. Among adolescent girls, one in four has been abused by her partner. According to a report by UN Women and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), one woman or girl was killed every 10 minutes by her intimate partner or family member in 2023, often inside her own home. This enduring brutality is more than a crisis; it is one of the greatest moral failures of our time.

Once again, the global community is observing the annual campaign "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence," under this year's theme "UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls." More than thirty years have passed since this campaign began, yet violence persists—only now it has evolved into new, more insidious forms. As our lives move increasingly online, a new front has opened in the fight against gender-based violence: technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).

Technology has undoubtedly empowered societies—expanding education, communication, and opportunity. But the same tools that connect us are being weaponised to control, intimidate, and silence women and girls. TFGBV refers to any act of harm, harassment, or abuse committed, assisted, or amplified through digital technologies. It includes sextortion, deepfake pornography, cyberflashing, doxxing (the release of private information online), trolling, cyberbullying, online hate speech, hacking, and surveillance.

The consequences are devastating. Victims often suffer from anxiety, depression, job loss, withdrawal from education, and even commit suicide. Digital violence does not just happen "online"; its scars are deeply real. Studies show that 16 to 58 percent of women globally have experienced some form of online harassment. Young women and girls, who depend most on digital platforms for learning, work, and social connection, are particularly at risk.

In Bangladesh, the situation is no less alarming. Although more women are using digital tools, the gender digital divide remains stark. A Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey shows that 52.9 percent of men use the internet, compared with only 44.4 percent of women—an 8.5 percentage point gap. Meanwhile, 72.7 percent of men own a device compared to 57.2 percent of women. The latest GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report paints an even bleaker picture: Bangladesh has the highest gender gap in mobile internet adoption in Asia—a staggering 40 percent.

This inequality means women face a double bind: fewer opportunities to benefit from technology, and greater exposure to harm when they do. Despite lower internet use, digital violence against women is rampant. A recent NETZ Bangladesh study revealed that over 78 percent of Bangladeshi women have experienced some form of tech-based abuse in their lifetime. Many reported restricting their social media use, avoiding sharing personal information, or even changing phone numbers to protect themselves from harassment. The consequences were not just emotional—some women left their jobs or had to relocate because of online abuse. Most victims never reported their experiences, fearing humiliation, inaction, or further victimisation by law enforcement.

Disturbingly, online misogyny is spilling into public life. During the recent Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) election, female candidates were relentlessly targeted on social media with sexist slurs, slut-shaming, and even threats of gang rape. Their campaign pages were flooded with obscene comments and doctored images. Despite widespread outrage, authorities remained largely silent. That silence sent a terrifying message to women across the country: that their voices, even in democratic spaces, can be bullied into submission. If this culture of impunity persists, online harassment could become a major barrier to women's participation in politics, including in the upcoming national election.

The roots of this problem run deep. There remains a limited understanding of digital violence, even among policymakers and law enforcers. Many still dismiss it as a "virtual issue," ignoring its real-life consequences. Bangladesh's legal and institutional frameworks are outdated and ill-equipped to respond to the fast-evolving digital landscape. Law enforcement agencies lack both technical expertise and gender sensitivity, while the justice system remains slow, stigmatising, and often hostile to survivors.

Meanwhile, tech companies have largely escaped accountability. Their platforms are designed for engagement, not empathy. Algorithms amplify outrage, hate speech, and misinformation, while content moderation remains inconsistent and opaque. The rise of artificial intelligence has made the situation worse: deepfakes and non-consensual AI-generated pornography are spreading faster than they can be removed, leaving victims powerless and unprotected.

The government's response has been mostly reactive. Despite repeated reports and media coverage, there is still no comprehensive national strategy to tackle digital GBV. Following last year's student-led mass uprising, cases of both online and offline abuse surged dramatically. Yet, instead of addressing the crisis head-on, the interim administration seems to have inherited the culture of denial and silence. Without coordinated action, digital spaces will remain unsafe, and inequality will deepen.

So we must ask ourselves: are we truly doing enough to make the digital world safe for women and girls? The answer is painfully clear: no.

We need urgent and comprehensive action. The government must update legal frameworks to explicitly define and criminalise technology-facilitated violence. Law enforcement agencies need specialised training and dedicated cyber units to handle such cases with sensitivity and expertise. Digital literacy programmes should be scaled up in schools, universities, and rural communities, empowering women and girls to navigate online spaces safely. Tech companies must be held accountable for user safety through stricter regulations, transparency, and stronger content moderation.

But the government alone cannot fix this. Civil society, educators, rights activists, development partners, and relevant stakeholders must collaborate to raise awareness, support survivors, and hold institutions accountable. Ending digital violence is not just about online safety—it is about protecting fundamental human rights. It is about ensuring that women and girls can learn, work, express themselves, and lead—without fear.

We can no longer afford to treat this as a secondary or "virtual" issue. Digital spaces are the new public squares. They shape how we live, think, and participate in society. If women and girls are unsafe there, then our nation's progress remains incomplete.

The time for symbolic speeches is over. What we need now is real action—stronger laws, responsible technology, shared accountability, and louder voices—to build a digital world where every woman and girl can speak freely, dream boldly, and live without fear.

Amith Kumar Malaker is a human rights defender and public policy analyst in Bangladesh. He can be reached at [email protected].

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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