UN Agency Reveals Surge in Cyber Abuse Fueling Violence Against Women Journalists and Activists

GENEVA – On Tuesday, UN Women, in collaboration with various partners, released a concerning study revealing that over two-thirds of women in journalism, human rights defense, and activism have been victims of online violence. Alarmingly, more than 40% of these women reported experiencing physical threats and attacks in the real world, directly linked to the digital abuse they faced.

The comprehensive report, aptly named “Tipping Point,” sheds light on the escalating violence against women in these fields, coinciding with the proliferation of social media and the advancement of artificial intelligence technologies. The findings were gathered from the experiences of over 6,900 human rights defenders, journalists, and activists across 119 countries.

This study, spearheaded by UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to advocating for women’s rights and gender equality, follows a similar warning issued by UNESCO in 2021. That report also underscored the burgeoning issue of online violence against women.

UN Women has highlighted the severity of the situation, stating, “Online violence against women has become a growing global crisis.” They emphasized that what starts as digital harassment can swiftly escalate into intimidation and tangible harm in the real world.

Disturbing statistics from the report show that 41% of the respondents encountered offline assaults, abuse, or harassment, which they attributed to their experiences of online violence. These incidents include physical and sexual assaults, stalking, verbal harassment, and “swatting” – a dangerous practice of making false claims to provoke a police response at a victim’s location.

The report points out that women involved in writing, influencing, and creating social media content, especially those focusing on human rights, are particularly vulnerable to online violence. They often face threats through new technological tools such as deepfake images and manipulated content, as detailed in the study conducted with partners like the European Commission.

Lead researcher Julie Posetti said the tally of cases of real-world harm linked to online violence against women journalists has more than doubled over the past five years, with 42% of respondents in 2025 identifying “this dangerous and potentially deadly trajectory.”

The authors call for stronger laws and better monitor to pinpoint violence against women linked to technology, more accountability for tech companies and increased efforts to amplify voices from men and others to speak out against such practices.

“Women who speak up for our human rights, report the news or lead social movements are being targeted with abuse designed to shame, silence and push them out of public debate,” UN Women policy director Sarah Hendricks said. “Increasingly, those attacks do not stop at the screen – they end at women’s front doors.”