Chilling rise of digital violence against women

Did you know that around 60 percent of women internet users in Arab states have experienced online violence? That is the highest rate of any region in the world. According to UN Women reports, 44 percent of women in Arab states who experienced online violence have confronted it more than once, with 36 percent being told to ignore it, 23 percent blamed for it, and 12 percent subjected to physical violence by the family because of it. Over one in three men aged 18-24 surveyed in the region admitted they had perpetrated some kind of online violence against women. The main motivations given by the perpetrators — 26 percent said that “it is their right,” while 23 percent said “it was fun” — are chilling.

The rapid expansion of digital spaces across the Arab world has brought undeniable benefits, but also provided an opportunity for a rapidly increasing form of violence that is spreading faster than our legal, social, and cultural responses can keep pace. Digital violence is not a “virtual” problem with virtual consequences because more often the violence moves from online to offline and vice versa. It is a real form of harm that deeply affects women’s safety, dignity, mental health, and participation in public life. According to research, 35 percent of women who experienced online violence reported feeling depressed and afraid, with 12 percent indicating having had suicidal thoughts. I recently came across several disturbing news stories of young women and teenagers — male and female — who have taken or attempted to take their own lives because of harassment and threats online. Treating online violence as a secondary issue only perpetuates silence and impunity.

Digital violence against women in Arab states has become increasingly widespread due to the explosive growth of social media platforms, messaging apps, and online forums. Women journalists, activists, politicians, artists, and even ordinary users are routinely targeted with harassment, threats, blackmail, doxing (sharing someone’s personal information online), defamation, and nonconsensual sharing of private images, or deepfake abuse where manipulated images or videos are published online causing reputational damage and lasting effects on a person’s life.

It is a real form of harm that deeply affects women’s safety

Maha Akeel

What is particularly alarming is how normalized this violence has become. Online abuse is often dismissed as “the cost of visibility” or justified as free expression, while women are urged to withdraw, stay silent, or protect themselves rather than society confronting the perpetrators. With some women choosing to suspend, close or limit their social media accounts due to online violence, this pattern may worsen the gender digital divide in the Arab region, which already has the largest gender gap in internet penetration at almost 60 percent for men and under 45 percent for women.

Online violence could be seen as an extension or reflection of the patriarchal norms of controlling women’s behavior, bodies, and voices. However, the increase in online violence also shows weak legal frameworks and enforcement mechanisms that leave women without effective protection or recourse. In several countries, laws addressing cybercrime exist but are either gender-blind, poorly enforced, or misused to silence women instead of protecting them. According to World Bank data, less than 40 percent of countries worldwide have laws protecting women from cyber harassment or cyber stalking. Furthermore, women who experience online violence often find little support, with only 31 percent reporting the incident for fear of being blamed, concern over privacy and confidentiality, and of retaliation by perpetrators.

In addition, there is lack of digital literacy and awareness, not only among users, but also among law enforcement and the judiciary who might not recognize it as violence at all or blame the victim, which reinforces fear and underreporting. UN Women recently launched guidebooks for legislation on technology-facilitated violence against women and for police on addressing technology-facilitated violence. On the other hand, there is also the need to have better platform design and governance to create safer online spaces for all users. Reporting mechanisms are often inaccessible, slow, or ineffective, particularly for Arabic-language content.

Many are fearful and unwilling to talk about the incidents

Maha Akeel

According to UN Women, some Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, have made progress in addressing online violence against women through legislative changes to penal codes and sexual harassment or domestic violence laws as well as providing helplines, but none yet has a stand-alone law on online violence. Since 2018, the Kingdom has specifically criminalized online violence and penalizes harassment. Research in 2023 on digital violence against women in Saudi Arabia showed that it is not as prevalent as in other countries, with around a quarter of the sampled women saying they faced some form of digital violence, although a previous research in 2021 showed that 41 percent of women in Saudi Arabia were subject to violence online, which might indicate an improvement in addressing the problem. However, 44 percent of the Saudi women who experienced online violence were fearful and unwilling to talk about it, with many deciding to ignore the incidents and refrain from escalating matters.

As the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women meets at the UN headquarters in a few weeks, it will review progress on last year’s theme on women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life and the elimination of violence for the empowerment of women and girls. The commission will also discuss this year’s theme on ensuring and strengthening access to justice for women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers. In both themes, the issue of digital violence against women, its impact and consequences, and how to deal with it is a common and growing concern as the digital space becomes increasingly where strategies, policies, and influence are shaped and determined.

• Maha Akeel is a Saudi expert in communications, social development, and international relations. She is a member of the UN’s Senior Women Talent Pipeline. X: @MahaAkeel1