LOC20:44
17:44 GMT
GENEVA, Dec 9 (KUNA) -- UN Women's Policy Specialist on Ending Violence against Women and Girls Yeliz Osman warned of the escalating global crisis of online violence against women in the public sphere.
In a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, she noted that seven in ten women human rights defenders activists and journalists have experienced online violence according to the latest findings.
Osman made the comments as the world marks the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) between November 25 and December 10, and the International Human Rights Day on December 10.
She announced the launch of a new report titled "Tipping point: The chilling escalation of violence against women in the public sphere" warning that the phenomenon has reached a "tipping point" as online abuse increasingly fuels offline attacks.
Osman highlighted that 70 per cent of surveyed women reported experiencing online violence in the course of their work warning of the alarming rise in offline harm linked to digital abuse particularly among women journalists.
She noted that the share of women journalists reporting offline attacks connected to online violence has more than doubled rising from 20 per cent in 2020 to 42 per cent in 2025 reflecting a widening gap in legal protections and prevention measures.
Osman also emphasized the growing role of AI assisted online violence saying that one in four participants had been targeted with abuse amplified by generative artificial intelligence including deepfake imagery manipulated videos and AI-generated disinformation.
She stressed that such tools are increasingly being weaponized "to discredit women and silence them" warning that this trend risks driving women out of public life and pushing them away from vital professions such as journalism and politics.
She called on governments to close the legislative gap noting that only 40 per cent of countries have laws addressing digital violence. (end)
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