Stopping digital violence is essential to ending gender-based violence(link is external)

Ending digital violence against women and girls is the theme of this year's 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence, beginning on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November).

Technology is now one of the most common channels for gender-based harassment, coercion and abuse, affecting women and girls across Australia. As digital platforms, messaging apps and artificial intelligence (AI) tools become embedded in daily life, the opportunities for perpetrators to reach, monitor, threaten and control women have rapidly expanded.

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence includes a wide-range of behaviours. These can occur publicly or privately, through strangers, or people known to the victim. Common forms include:

• image-based abuse(link is external)
• deepfake sexual imagery(link is external)
• cyber abuse(link is external) and trolling
• online threats and intimidation
• sexual harassment
• doxing(link is external)
• cyberstalking(link is external)
• Immersive tech
• grooming(link is external)
• sexual exploitation(link is external) and extortion.

These behaviours are not new, but the scale, speed and sophistication of abuse has increased in recent years. Online harm often has serious real-world consequences, including escalation to physical violence, reputational damage, and impacts on employment, safety and mental health.

Creating safe environments requires systemic action

Governments, technology companies and community organisations each have a responsibility to reduce risks, strengthen safeguards and respond effectively when harm occurs.

The Australian Government is acting through Working for Women: A Strategy for Gender Equality which recognises online harms as a barrier to women's safety, participation and equality. Under the strategy, government has taken steps to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated abuse, including:

• funding targeted initiatives through the Preventing Tech-based Abuse of Women Grants Program,
• convening a National Roundtable on Online Dating Safety to improve user safety on online dating platforms,
• establishing the Online Harms Ministers Meeting to coordinate policy addressing online harms.

These measures aim to strengthen prevention, improve platform accountability and ensure survivors can access support.

Online threats can escalate to real-world harm. If you or someone you know is experiencing online abuse, help is available. Learn more about the types of technology-facilitated abuse(link is external) and how to report(link is external) or seek support through national services, including eSafety Commission(link is external) and 1800RESPECT(link is external).