Violence against women is one of the oldest and most widespread injustices of humanity. Yet it is also the least acted upon. No society can call itself ‘safe or healthy’ at a time when half the population lives in fear. Ending this violence is not just a matter of policy, but also a matter of dignity, equality and human rights. Empowering women and girls is not optional, it is a prerequisite for building peace, development, a civilized and violence-free society. A safe home, family and society for women is truly a ‘heavenly world’.

Digital violence against women and girls is rapidly increasing around the world, with cyber-harassment, stalking, and gender-based misinformation being the daily reality of digital violence against women. Studies show that 16-58 percent of women have experienced online abuse and 85 percent have witnessed it. These violations reflect offline patterns of gender inequality and highlight the urgent need for strong digital security, legal protection, and coordinated regional action.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence began on November 25. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence began on November 25. The United Nations General Assembly declared November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in 1999. Continuing this day, this year’s international slogan is – ‘Let’s unite to end digital violence against all women and girls.’ And, the national slogan is – ‘Let’s use technology wisely, end gender-based violence’. The campaign aims to raise awareness about gender-based violence, make violence prevention effective through the appropriate use of technology, protect women's rights and advance empowerment. However, if we look at the latest graphs, despite the number of campaigns against violence against women around the world, the number of incidents of violence against women has not decreased. On the contrary, the increase has raised questions - are such campaigns not effective?

Measuring the global level of violence against women, an estimated 840 million women have experienced physical abuse or sexual violence, partner or non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their lives (30 percent of women aged 15 and above). This figure, which does not include sexual harassment, has remained largely unchanged over the past two decades. Progress in reducing intimate partner violence has been very slow over the past two decades, with an annual decline of only 0.2 percent. Women and girls who have experienced violence are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, disorders, unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and HIV, which can cause deep mental and physical suffering in the long term. Sexual violence by someone other than a partner is still widespread, but it is very underreported. Globally, 8 percent or 263 million women aged 15 and above have experienced sexual violence by someone other than a partner at least once in their lifetime.

Even within gender-based violence, sexual violence is the most inhuman, cruel and degrading violence, a heinous crime. Police statistics have shown that almost 100 percent of such violence in our country is committed by an acquaintance. The police have made public the data that 92 percent of the accused in sexual violence are acquaintances. According to the statistics, in 2008/09, 1,878 of the accused involved in sexual violence were acquaintances, 901 were neighbors, 419 were family members, 33 were teachers, and the remaining 280 were strangers. Similarly, according to the police, in 2008/09, 3,178 cases of sexual violence were registered across the country, of which 3,212 were women. 3,511 accused involved in the violence were arrested. Of these, 3,231, or 92.02 percent, were known to the police.

Police statistics show that 64 percent of the victims of sexual violence are girls, which raises concerns about where our families and society can take our daughters and keep them safe. According to the statistics, in 2008/09, In 2008-09, 2,071 girls under the age of 18 were victims of sexual violence across the country, which is 64.47 percent of the total number of victims. Of these, 690 girls aged 10 to 14 were the most victims. Similarly, according to police data, 616 girls aged 15 to 16 and 414 girls aged 17 to 18 were victims of sexual violence. 351 girls under the age of 10 and 1,141 girls over the age of 19 were victims of sexual violence.

The safest place for a person is their own home. However, today, the public release of data showing that most women and girls are becoming unsafe at home has clearly shown that girls and women are not safe anywhere in society. Out of 3,212 women across the country, 2,257 women were victims of sexual violence in their own homes, which is 70.26 percent of the total number of victims. Similarly, 528 women were victims of sexual violence in public places, while 256 were victims of sexual violence in secluded or forested areas. 119 were victims of sexual violence in hotels and guesthouses, 22 in professional places, 9 in vehicles, 3 online and one in a religious place. The remaining 15 women did not disclose the place where the sexual violence occurred. This illustrates the painful situation faced by women and girls in the current situation.

According to the United Nations, 50,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or family members in 2024. This year, UN Women is focusing on a new form of violence, digital violence or violence through technology. This includes stalking women, deepfaking photos, videos and audio, sharing photos without consent and targeting high-profile and public figures. Artificial intelligence is making things worse, and image-based abuse is exploding. An estimated 90 to 95 percent of online deepfakes depict women in sexualized ways, according to UN Women. What happens online can have a profound impact on women and girls throughout their lives. The recent global report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF and Save the Children, ‘Technology-enabled Gender-Based Violence: A Lifelong Perspective’, confirms this. Digital abuse is also increasingly linked to violent extremism, which is leading to attempts to suppress and silence women’s voices on social media platforms, which is a sign of the wrong trend.