Technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, or TF VAWG, is an act of violence perpetrated by one or more individuals that is committed, assisted, aggravated and amplified in part or fully by the use of information and communication technologies or digital media against a person on the basis of gender.

In June 2025, UNODC organized an event in Brussels on “Tech-enabled Threats and Solutions: The Two Sides of a Coin” for officials from the European Commission and EU Member States. The discussion included a focus on technology-facilitated gender-based violence and the ways in which technologies are exploited to cause harm, as well as technological and policy innovations to prevent and address such violence.

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence is a rapidly growing form of abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls, including human rights defenders, journalists, and politicians, and increasingly intersects with offline harm. Spotlight Initiative engages with this issue through knowledge-sharing, capacity building, and support to country-level programming responses. 

In 2025, the Initiative supported UNFPA-led global work on TF GBV through participation in the UNFPA TF GBV Advisory Board and the Third Global Symposium on TF GBV in March 2025, where findings informed updates to the Initiative’s guidance on best practices in addressing TF GBV. In Zambia, Spotlight Initiative and UNFPA co-hosted a public webinar reaching over 100 participants, including government and civil society representatives, designed for accessibility through sign Zambian sign language interpretation and an in-person viewing session, developed in direct response to anticipated risks of increased TF GBV during national elections. In Liberia, the #SafeDigitalLiberia campaign engaged 17 digital influencers during the 16 Days of Activism, reaching over 155,500 followers with messaging on digital safety and women’s rights. 

Engagement with TF GBV reflects the Initiative’s commitment to ensuring that its comprehensive model remains responsive to emerging and evolving forms of violence, particularly as digital spaces become increasingly central to how violence is perpetrated and experienced. 

Since the publication of the foundational 2021 Making All Spaces Safe report, UNFPA has spearheaded the UN movement to define and address TFGBV, moving the global discourse from awareness to systemic action. Key achievements in 2025 include: 

• In 2025, UNFPA held its Third Global Symposium on TF GBV, under the theme “Intersectional Challenges and Collective Action in a Shifting Digital Age”. This multi-sectoral forum, including member states, private sector tech entities, and feminist technologists aims to harmonize global policy and discourse and is now replicated in several regions (Latin America, Asia Pacific, Africa).
• UNFPA has served as a Lead Coordinator on the Steering Committee and co-manages the Advisory Group for the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse since 2022. As the only multilateral, intergovernmental platform dedicated to TFGBV, it unites 16 member states with civil society to drive innovative solutions and coordinate high-level advocacy across global forums like the G7, AI Summit and CSW.
• UNFPA has participated in the Interagency working group on Gender in the Digital Coalition (GiDC), as well as in the UCL Tech Abuse Conference and RightsCon.
• UNFPA made major progress in 2025 in developing and establishing the Global Response Hub - a platform connecting frontline service providers with cybersecurity and security experts.
• In 2025, UNFPA rolled out the Global Training Package for Frontline Responders - a 13-module package with slide decks, facilitator guides and handouts aimed to equip health, social service, law enforcement, justice officials, educators and other non-specialised sectors with strengthened skills and tools to respond to TFGBV cases. The package has been rolled out to 406 GBV service providers and actors across seven regions and countries, including Arab States, Asia-Pacific, Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Somalia. Participants from three countries (Azerbaijan, Indonesia, and Madagascar) implementing the Women at the Centre programme attended the initial global piloting of the package.   
• The MASS programme is supporting Benin and Kenya to revise existing GBV SOPs to integrate TFGBV, and will inform the development of a global Guidance on integrating TFGBV into case management systems under Women at the Centre (WAC), drawing on lessons learned from WAC countries. TFGBV knowledge and skills have been included in the national GBV case management curriculum in Azerbaijan, El Salvador, Indonesia, and Madagascar. The definition has been introduced in Zimbabwe’s curriculum. The WAC programme will additionally develop a global GBV case management curriculum as well as a standard set of global GBV case management forms inclusive of people with disabilities and LGBTIQ+ survivors in 2026 where key competencies on TFGBV will be included.
• UNFPA has engaged a consultant to develop a roadmap for integrating TFGBV into the GBVIMS, which will complement other work in the WAC programme in integrating disability and LGBTIQA+ considerations.
• WAC and MASS countries have established national level Community of Practices (CoPs) where TFGBV is a topic of discussion and technical assistance and tools are provided to support quality case management involving TFGBV, inclusive of marginalized groups.
• Through the WAC programme, the Zimbabwe Country Office is developing the ‘MobiSAFAIDS App’ to enhance the efficiency of GBV referrals. The application is designed to improve survivors' access to critical GBV services by facilitating two-way communication with service providers. The roll-out is scheduled for 2026.
• Following the 2024 global launch of the Safety Showcase: Reimage Gender in Tech with partners FCDO, eSafety, Numun Fund and UNFPA, this initiative continues to spotlight safe, ethical technology designed with gender equality and survivor experiences from inception.
• Under EmpowerED, UNFPA is integrating digital literacy, online safety and healthy relationships into CSE curricula across 10 countries, as well as developing a Digital Redirection Programme for gendered SRHR disinformation, a platform/tool that will divert adolescents from misleading content that reinforces harmful gender norms about masculinity, femininity, relationships, and sexuality to vetted CSE resources.
• UNFPA promoted rights-based law and policy frameworks that are survivor-centred and prioritise platform accountability.In partnership with Derechos Digitales, UNFPA released Guiding principles for law and policy reform to address Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence: Towards a system of accountability at the end of 2025. These principles are based on a comparative analysis of eight global jurisdictions, predominantly from the Global South. UNFPA and UN Women, facilitated by Equality Now, are consolidating two similar documents set to be released in 2026, as well as exploring CSW opportunities.
• UNFPA launched "TFGBV: Considerations Across the Lifecourse" in 2025 with UNICEF and Save the Children, mapping how harm manifests from childhood through older age, emphasizing the need for a life-course approach that reflects the distinct needs of children, adolescents and adults.
• UNFPA supported the development of a global conceptual framework with Save the Children (published in 2025) based on participatory workshops with 219 children across five countries to understand the online-offline continuum of violence.
• Upcoming research includes a Feminist AI Learning Series with briefs designed to equip GBV practitioners with the tools to engage in AI discourse and advocate for Feminist AI governance, as well as the intersection of TFGBV with Extended Reality (XR).
• Since the production of a discussion paper around measurement in 2023, UNFPA has supported several country offices such as Bangladesh and Vanuatu to integrate TFGBV into VAW Prevalence Surveys.
• Together with WHO and UNWOMEN, UNFPA is developing a Guidance note on Measuring Technology-facilitated Violence against Women including a repository of TF-VAW data collection practices and methods.
• Together with WHO and UN Women, UNFPA is a convener of the Global Expert Group meeting on a statistical framework for measuring TFVAW and is currently involved in the development of a TFVAW statistical framework that builds on country-level surveys and small-scale in-depth research.
• Building on pilot programming, UNFPA is currently developing a global measurement framework for TFGBV programming indicators.
• UNFPA ASRO led the regional Training of Trainers (ToT) on TFGBV in Cairo, bringing together 34 participants from 15 countries[1] across multiple sectors. The training significantly increased technical knowledge (from 43% to 84%) and strengthened capacities to respond to GBV across health, psychosocial, legal, and case management services. Building on this progress, the training is cascaded across the region by trained focal points, with replication already initiated in Somalia and Morocco in 2025. Beyond individual capacity gains, the training established a strong foundation for scaling up responses to TFGBV in the region.
• UNFPA ASRO, in partnership with UN Women and UNHCR, led the call for action, Jointly LAS on TFGBV, during the 16 Days of Activism, securing political commitment from LAS to advance coordinated prevention and response measures.

[1] Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, GCC (Oman and Bahrain), Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Libya, Yemen

UN Trust Fund’s SHINE hub, a multilingual (100+ languages) virtual exchange and convening platform, was leveraged to host a global consultation with civil society partners on technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and practitioners shared their prevention and response strategies and their experiences in tackling this specific form of violence. 

In 2025, UN Women advanced a comprehensive response to technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (TF VAWG), strengthening legal, policy, research and advocacy frameworks while consolidating its global leadership in this rapidly evolving area.

Key achievements included the development of the first corporate strategy on TF VAWG, alongside the production of model legal frameworks through global guidance resulting from extensive global and regional expert consultations and the development and adoption of the Inter-American Model Law on Digital Violence by the States Parties to the Belém do Pará Convention, as well as police guidance, global surveys and analytical tools to support Member States in integrating TF VAWG into national legislation and policy frameworks. This work was reinforced through engagement in global processes such as the Global Digital Compact and through partnerships with governments, civil society and the private sector, including by acting as the policy lead of the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse. 

These efforts built on comprehensive analysis and evidence-generation, notably on global and regional normative frameworks, government efforts to tackle TF VAWG, and emerging practices globally from relevant stakeholders. UN Women also spearheaded critical research including on AI-enabled violence and a global study on online violence against women in the public sphere. These efforts contributed to advancing standardized definitions and measurement, strengthening the global knowledge base on digital violence.

Through programmes such as the EU-funded ACT initiative, UN Women also strengthened the capacity of feminist movements and civil society actors to address online violence and counter backlash. Prevention efforts included global advocacy campaigns, engagement with men and boys, and partnerships targeting online misogyny and harmful digital norms.

Concrete results included capacity-building and awareness-raising at scale, such as over 10,000 girls trained on digital safety in Nigeria and Kenya, and expanded outreach through global campaigns, with the UNiTE campaign reaching 3.5 million web users (+467%) and generating 7.9 million impressions. 

At country level, a few examples include:

• in Bolivia, UN Women supported the national response to TF VAWG by developing a participatory national policy and toolkit, generating new evidence through the first nationwide survey and digital analysis, training over 500 officials with specialized guidance and materials, and implementing a wide-reaching, culturally grounded communication strategy to raise awareness and prevention;
• in Mexico, UN Women strengthened the national response to TF GBV by generating new evidence through a scoping study, co-developing a Strategic Roadmap with the Secretary of Women, and advancing policy recommendations for prevention, access to justice and platform accountability. It also led the “Es Real. #EsViolenciaDigital” campaign, which reached 38.4 million views in Mexico and expanded access to safety and reporting resources.

Overall, these efforts strengthened global standards, enhanced institutional responses, and advanced integrated approaches to preventing and responding to technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.

Since its inception, the Spotlight Initiative has made significant strides in addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF GBV). A key activity includes the development of a Digital Gender Violence virtual course in Argentina, as part of a broader initiative on comprehensive sexuality education. The Central Asia and Afghanistan Regional Programme hosted the Spotlight Digital Challenge, educating youth on the dual nature of technology, both as a tool to end violence and as a medium for perpetuating online violence. The Latin America Regional Programme, in partnership with the Behavioral Insights Team, explored the rise in online violence and cyberbullying during COVID-19 and utilized behavioral science to develop innovative strategies for addressing these issues. In Vanuatu, the Initiative partnered with the Internet Governance Forum to generate data on students’ experiences with online violence, and supported the development of a National Plan for Child Online Protection. In Zimbabwe, Spotlight supported the Data Protection Act, enacted in December 2021, which provides one of the most comprehensive legal frameworks in southern Africa to address online violence, including non-consensual image-based abuse. 

The Initiative’s comprehensive approach involves collaborating across agencies and with donors to implement legal reforms, raise awareness, and build data-driven interventions. Additionally, Spotlight has hosted events such as the Unfollowing Misogyny session at the SVRI Forum and has recently been invited to contribute to the UNFPA Advisory Board on TFGBV, solidifying its role in global efforts to combat TF GBV.  

Based on increasing reports from its grantee partners of cases of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, and in recognition of this growing threat, the UN Trust Fund introduced technology-facilitated violence against women (TFVAW) as a distinct form of violence for the first time in its 2023 Call for Proposals. A total of 239 applications were submitted, collectively requesting $121.6 million in funding — a clear reflection of both the scale of need and the growing demand for feminist, locally driven solutions. 

One of the new partners awarded a grant in 2024 under the ACT Programme, the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, is strengthening feminist movements in Nigeria and Kenya by engaging younger women activists to address TFVAW.

To better understand this emerging trend, in 2024, the UN Trust Fund conducted a comprehensive analysis through a thematic survey of 29 grantee partners, a virtual café attracting over 90 experts, and dedicated discussions on its online hub, SHINE. The findings revealed that 88% of survey respondents reported encountering technology-facilitated violence in their work, and shed light on the realities that civil society and women’s rights organizations are navigating to address this rapidly evolving form of violence. The virtual café further demonstrated the global scope of the issue, with partners from Jordan to Mexico to Tajikistan, amongst others, voicing their concerns and observations on this trending issue. 

In July 2024, OHCHR published a report on the solutions to promote digital education for young people and to ensure their protection from online threats (A/HRC/57/28) promoting a gender-responsive response in view of the gender digital divide and the gendered dimensions of online attacks. OHCHR was also mandated to produce a report on “a human rights approach to meaningful connectivity and to overcoming digital divides, including by addressing threats to individuals’ access to the Internet,” presenting an opportunity to analyse how women and girls’ access to internet is impeded by TF GBV. 

UN Women is leading efforts to combat technology-facilitated gender-based violence by pushing for laws to protect women and girls, closing data gaps, adapting support services for survivors, and working with men and boys to challenge gender stereotypes and discrimination.   

Shaping laws and policies: UN Women works closely with governments and international bodies through platforms like the Commission on the Status of Women and the UN General Assembly to establish stronger laws that combat technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Key contributions include supporting and informing frameworks such as the Global Digital Compact, the UNODC Cyber Crime Convention, EU Directive on combating violence against women, and CSW67 Agreed Conclusions. UN Women launched global and regional consultations for legal guidance and in the Americas, UN Women is supporting MESECVI in the development of the Model Law on TF GBV

Supporting feminist movements: UN Women bridges the gap between gender justice and digital rights activism by amplifying the voices of women’s rights organizations and fem-tech activists, ensuring they have the tools, knowledge, and networks to challenge digital exclusion and push for better protection of women and girls. Initiatives such as the EU-funded ACT programme aims to strengthen the digital security and advocacy capacities of women’s rights movements and human rights defenders.

Working with men and boys as allies to transform harmful masculinities. This work includes on-going research with Equimundo to better understand the pathways into misogynistic networks online and entry points for shifting harmful narratives and engaging men and boys to foster positive attitudes towards women and girls. 

Raising public awareness: Through campaigns, educational resources, and bystander intervention programmes, UN Women raises public awareness of such violence and promotes prevention strategies.  Specific examples include:  

• Created a bystander intervention campaign in Latin America to tackle online GBV including for ethical AI use, highlighting risks of automated decision-making reinforcing gender discrimination.

Building knowledge and gathering data: UN Women is closing knowledge gaps by defining technology-facilitated gender-based violence , developing standardized methodologies that countries can use to gather data, as required by the Statistical Commission.  Specific examples include:

• Led the Asia Pacific Learning Series, training 213 EVAWG advocates
• A 2020 regional study provided the first snapshot of women’s online abuse in Asia, followed by the 2023 study on online opposition to gender equality. These findings informed regional advocacy at CSW67 and shaped new  tools for youth and civil society. ROAP also conducted a big data analysis on VAW during the COVID-19 pandemic across eight countries, identifying proxy trends through social media and search behaviours. Regional engagement at SVRI 2024 co-led with WHO and UNFPA helped launch a global TFGBV research agenda. A repository of global TFGBV work ensures continued access to tools and lessons learned

Building partnerships: UN Women collaborates with global initiatives like the Generation Equality Action Coalitions and the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse. It also supports initiatives like Women LEAD, which advances women’s leadership while addressing barriers to participation in both digital and physical spaces.

Launched in 2024, Making All Spaces Safe is a UNFPA global programme supported by Global Affairs Canada, aimed at addressing the growing threat of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV). The programme focuses on critical gaps in preventing and responding to TFGBV by integrating targeted activities into existing gender-based violence (GBV) programming and advancing rights-based laws and policies, as well as safety-by-design standards in technology development. The programme is structured around three key pillars: 

• Response 
• Prevention 
• Law and Policy 

Additionally, it includes two cross-cutting pillars: 

• Research and Evaluation 
• Convening Efforts 

Key Activities and Regional Efforts 

• UNFPA’s Role in Global Initiatives: UNFPA is an active member of the Technology and Innovation Reference Group under the global GBV Area of Responsibility. 
• Gender Analysis and Legislative Roadmaps: In 2024, a Gender Analysis of national legislation on TFGBV was conducted in the Pacific sub-region, as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo. As a result, Legislative Roadmaps for preventing GBV through information and communication technology (ICT) were developed in these countries. 
• Bodyright Campaign: Several UNFPA country offices have adapted and launched the Bodyright Campaign, including in Moldova, Costa Rica, Argentina, the Western Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo), Nigeria, and Mali. 
• Regional Initiatives in the Arab States: In the Arab States, UNFPA has focused on various approaches to address TFGBV. In Jordan, UNFPA partnered with the National Commission for Women to create a community awareness guide. In Egypt, UNFPA conducted multiple trainings on TFGBV for GBV service providers and university representatives. 
• Investing in Technology for Women’s Safety: UNFPA is also leveraging technology for women’s safety. For example: 
• Safe YOU app: Launched in Iraq and Romania, the app provides emergency support and a peer discussion platform. 
• Netopoly: In Tunisia, UNFPA developed Netopoly, an online board game aimed at educating adolescents on cyberbullying and online safety.