58 percent of girls and young women worldwide have experienced some form of online abuse, with the majority of them experiencing their first experience between the ages of 14 and 16. About 38 percent of women have experienced online violence. 85 percent have witnessed such violence being perpetrated on others.

73 percent of female journalists have faced online violence in the course of their work. One in three female parliamentarians in the Asia Pacific region have been attacked online. 95 percent of online ‘deepfakes’ are ‘pornographic’ photos or videos made without consent. A total of 99 percent of such ‘deepfakes’ are targeted at women.

These figures are not limited to this, if we add them up, they stretch longer than our election ballots. This shows how ‘technology facilitated gender-based violence’ or gender-based digital violence is becoming increasingly serious globally. Another UN statistic says that one in every three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. With the development of advanced technology, such violence against women and girls has taken on new and relatively more painful forms.

In its definition of ‘technology-facilitated gender-based violence’ or digital violence against women, the United Nations has defined it as the use of information and communication technologies or other digital tools to cause physical, sexual, psychological, social, political or economic harm to women, girls or ‘LGBTQIA+’ and other communities. It violates their human rights and freedoms. The United Nations has also described it as one of the biggest and fastest growing challenges to women’s rights.

‘AI and the manosphere’

With the development of technology, forms of violence have become increasingly sophisticated. Common forms of online abuse include ‘revenge porn’, ‘cyberbullying’, ‘trolling’, online threats, online abuse, hate speech, etc. 67 percent of women and girls who have experienced digital violence report that disinformation and character assassination are the most common forms of abuse against them. 

‘Sensual images’ created using artificial intelligence (AI) or, more specifically, ‘deepfake’ technology are now spreading across the internet. Such ‘content’ is often targeted at women and is often made by taking photos and videos of women without their consent. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the uncontrolled rise of AI and the ‘manosphere’, i.e. misogynistic online platforms, are the biggest threat of this generation. Such ‘manospheres’ challenge gender equality and constantly trick men into believing distorted narratives such as ‘you are weak because of women’, ‘women are not trustworthy’, ‘the entire system is in favor of women, men are more affected by women’. There are many such pages on social media.

Experts say that digital violence is not limited to ‘screens’. There are many examples of abuse that started online spilling over to offline, sometimes leading to physical violence and, in extreme cases, femicide. The film ‘Adultsense’, which focuses on how the ‘manosphere’, a male-dominated ideology that is spreading online, can affect young people in particular and what its consequences can be, was popular some time ago. The film discusses the role of digital technology in creating ‘alpha males’, ‘red-pill ideology’, and distorted views on love or sex. It has effectively discussed this topic. 

Andrew Tate, a former boxer and a well-known online ‘influencer’ who openly identifies himself as a ‘misogynist’ or anti-woman, and his brother Tristan were arrested by Romanian police in 2022. He had many ‘followers’ who presented toxic views online on topics such as masculinity, dating, love, and sex. Police arrested them on charges of forming a criminal gang and committing human trafficking, rape and sexual exploitation. According to police, the Tate brothers and their group lured women into a 'lover boy' style by proposing love and then forcibly making obscene photos and videos of them.

Similarly, in June 2024, three women from the same family were brutally murdered in Bushy, Hertfordshire, UK. Louise Hunt, 25, her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, and their mother Carol Hunt, 61, were murdered with a hunting bow and knife. Louise's ex-boyfriend Kyle Clifford had been 'tracking' the activities of all the Hunt family members on Facebook before killing them. He spent 11 days checking 'Carol's' Facebook page to find out when Louise's father, BBC journalist John Hunt, would leave the house. In addition, on the day of the murder, John Hunt had also sent a message from Lewis's mobile phone telling him not to return home early. 

Clifford's trial verdict seriously mentioned the issue of 'social media surveillance' used in the plan to commit violence against women and murder by misusing digital media. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Judge Joel Benathan said, 'The evidence I have seen suggests that Kayle is a man who has an extreme hatred of women, is obsessed with inferiority and is jealous. He had even watched the weather from social media 'tracking' to the day of the attack.

He entered the Hunt family home on the pretext of returning Lewis's belongings and sent a message from Lewis's mobile phone telling Lewis's father not to return home early. However, he did not send such a message to Lewis's sister, Hannah. When she came home, they killed Heena too.’ The judge also ordered the seizure of Kayla’s crossbow, laptop and phone, which the police had collected as digital evidence. The video of Judge Benathan reading the full text is available on YouTube. 

‘The increasing flow of misogynistic content through media such as the manosphere is further reinforcing harmful gender norms both online and offline,’ Patricia Fernandez-Pacheco, UN Women’s representative for Nepal, told Kantipur. ‘This seems to be linked to femicide or femicide.

Every 10 minutes in 2023, a woman was killed by a family member.’ She said that so far, only 117 countries have adopted modest policy measures to address this problem, but implementation of the law is weak. “Victims are left feeling humiliated, not reporting such abuse, and facing impunity across borders,” she said. “Due to harmful gender norms, growing misogyny online, and fragmented digital governance, many countries are failing to see digital abuse as a serious human rights violation.” 

Digital violence on the rise in Nepal too 

Around 16 million people are online in Nepal, and around 14 million use social media platforms. As digital access increases, the risk of online abuse against women and girls is also increasing rapidly. According to the Cyber ​​Bureau of Nepal Police, 18,926 cybercrime cases were registered last fiscal year, of which more than 7,900 were related to women.

Police Inspector Deepa Bhattarai of the Cyber ​​Bureau considers this situation to be extremely worrying. Analyzing the data for the four months of the current fiscal year, she said, “2,900 applications have been received till mid-October. About 70 percent of the applicants are women. According to Bhattarai, men are mostly victims of financial fraud, while women are victims of digital violence. 

At an interaction program organized by the Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) and Sancharika Group this week, Police Inspector Bhattarai told a real incident of a minor, pointing out the psychological impact of digital violence. “A girl studying in class 8 receives a message request on Facebook, she accepts it,” Bhattarai said. “As she chats with the young man, they become friends, share photos. Gradually, the boy pressures her to do what he says. If she refuses, he threatens to make the photos public. After two years of this, the girl attempts suicide. Fortunately, her mother came to know about it and was able to get her out of that world.”

According to a study by information technology expert Dobhan Rai, online ‘intimate partner violence’ (violence in intimate relationships via online) has reached a worrying level. Speaking at a program organized by UN-Nepal in Lalitpur in connection with the '16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence' that began on November 25, she spoke about online exploitation between lovers or spouses (inter-partners). 'This includes acts like image morphing, threats to make secret or intimate relationships public, repeated sexual exploitation,' she said. 'Such incidents have also been seen among neighbors, relatives, teachers and students. Digital violence is a reflection of gender-based violence in patriarchal societies.' 

She pointed out that the impact of digital violence on marginalized groups like the 'queer' community is even more complex. She understands that when victims of violence go to seek legal redress, they have to face additional stigma, suspicion and discriminatory behavior. Rai, who is also associated with 'Body and Data', which advocates for the digital rights of women, 'queer' and marginalized groups, said, 'They are asked questions that violate their privacy and are given humiliating judgments. This has prevented them from building trust in the justice system.’ 

Social responsibility

Digital violence is not just a women’s issue, but a human rights issue and a social responsibility, says Hana Singer-Hamdi, UN Resident Representative to Nepal. ‘If women do not feel safe online, they are excluded from leadership and opportunities, and this undermines the democratic process,’ she said. 

How does digital violence against women also harm men? Content creator Vinayak Kuinkel has made a video on this topic. In the video, he talks about the social contempt that comes with mistreatment of women, ‘What happens to your respect in society? How will your old woman, your daughter look at you?’ He has highlighted the issue of men’s abuse ultimately making female members of their own families the target of social contempt. 

Experts suggest that reforms are needed in the legal, institutional and practical aspects to reduce digital violence in Nepal. Legal practitioner Sabin Shrestha says that the biggest weakness of the current law is the 35-day deadline. “We do not have local representatives of social media platforms, and sometimes it takes 35 days to wait for a response from the headquarters in Singapore after requesting data,” he says. “This prevents many victims from filing a complaint for justice.” 

Even though the United Nations has given special priority to reducing digital violence, the problems faced by even less developed and superpower countries like Nepal are increasing. The details of the cases made public by the Nepal Police on its page say that digital violence has become more complex, and honest efforts are needed to deal with it at the government, civil society, and community levels.

Experts on the subject also have the same conclusion. Patricia, the representative of UN Women Nepal, says, “The safe digital space envisioned by the United Nations for women and girls is one where they can participate freely and confidently online. And, they are supported by a society that does not allow violence to hide behind mobile screens, along with accountable organizations, rights-based legal systems.’

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‘Digital violence has exacerbated gender inequality’

Patricia Fernandez-Pacheco Representative, UN Women Nepal 

What is the UN’s assessment of the global situation regarding digital violence against women? What trends have you seen?

We have the very sad statistic that one in three women is subject to gender-based violence. Forms of digital violence are increasing widely. We estimate that digital violence affects 16 to 58 percent of women. The use of AI technologies such as ‘deepfake’ has exacerbated this problem. 95 percent of ‘deepfake content’ seen online is made from ‘pornographic images’ taken without consent. The ‘manosphere’ or male-centric communities that spread misogynistic ideas are deepening harmful gender norms both online and offline. This is linked to femicide. In 2023, a woman was killed by a member of her own family every 10 minutes. These trends confirm that digital violence is the fastest growing threat to women’s rights and public participation.

As internet access increases in Nepal, online abuse against women is also increasing. What similarities and differences do you see when comparing Nepal with other countries where UN Women works?

Nepal’s situation in this regard reflects global trends. Out of 18,926 cases registered with the Cyber ​​Bureau in the financial year 2024/25, 7,921 complaints were filed by female applicants. Cases involving children also increased from 176 to 706. These figures are only for registered cases. This indicates that the true picture of digital violence is much larger. Like many other countries, Nepal is facing new challenges such as misogynistic content and ‘deepfakes’. However, Nepal’s existing legal framework (Electronic Transactions Act, 2006) and the Criminal Code Act (2007) do not clearly identify these new forms of digital violence. This has made women and girls more vulnerable and more vulnerable to abuse when seeking help. In February, the Committee under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) expressed its clear concern about the prevalence of online gender-based violence in Nepal. 

A study by UN Women shows that certain groups, such as journalists, leaders, activists and sexual minorities, are more vulnerable to online abuse. Who is being ‘targeted’ the most in Nepal? 

A study conducted in 13 districts of Nepal found that more than a third of girls and girls have experienced online abuse. In a national survey of women journalists, 88.6 percent said they had faced online attacks, 53 percent had experienced harassment in connection with their professional work, and 21.4 percent said that online harassment had escalated to offline threats or physical violence. In such cases, the perpetrators ranged from the victim's colleagues, employees, strangers, and even political figures. Digital violence replicates and amplifies deep-rooted gender inequalities. When the experience of digital spaces is not pleasant, women and girls withdraw from educational platforms, online work opportunities, and public dialogue. As a result, gender participation declines. This also undermines Nepal's broader aspirations for inclusive development and digital transformation. 

UN Women has been working on prevention, victim-friendly services, and digital literacy. Have you taken any initiatives in Nepal? 

This year, we are bringing online gender-based violence to the forefront of public debate, especially with young people, and are conducting programs to promote prevention and digital literacy. Last June, we created and translated the ‘Online Gender-Based Violence Toolkit’ into Nepali and released it. It includes practical guidance on how to stop abuse and for those at risk and for friends who can support them. As part of this year’s ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’, we collaborated with young artists to design a mural in Lalitpur. It depicts a woman escaping online abuse and reaching a safe ‘space’. Similarly, in partnership with the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, we are displaying informative posters on 16 digital billboards for 16 days.