Bertina Lou
Just Access Legal Fellow
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This blog post is part of a TFGBV and Intersectionality Series. Read the first article of the series here.
Governments, UN agencies, academics, service providers, civil society organisations, and private technology companies convened for an interactive hybrid Global Symposium on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) from the 6th to 7th of March 2025 in New York to exchange knowledge and collaborate globally on the issue of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
Participants heard from twenty-five speakers over the course of two days and actively brainstormed the risks related to TFGBV and opportunities to address said risks. They shared resources and personal reflections to powerfully co-create knowledge at this global forum.
“Advocacy” was most frequently identified as the most important tool for achieving major milestones addressing TFGBV.
A Snapshot of Sentiments Around the World on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence
At the start of the event, participants were invited to share what they felt had been crucial toward advancing solutions for TFGBV thus far in their work. In the roughly eighty responses from around the world, “advocacy” was most frequently identified as the most important tool for achieving major milestones addressing TFGBV. Second to that, “legislation” was reiterated most often, followed by “awareness,” “accountability,” and “research” in descending order of frequency. Other factors identified as crucial to achieving TFGBV-related milestones included “collaboration,” “political and media pressure,” and “funding.”
Transformative Milestones in the Technology-facilitated Gender-Based Violence Movement
The participants were also asked to share their perception of transformative milestones in the TFGBV movement, which represented an opportunity to learn from each other about major events and advancements around the world. Many shared legislative milestones related to TFGBV in their country, which are organised below according to year.
The year 2024:
- The United Kingdom’s 2024 Online Safety Act, which criminalises several acts of TFGBV and places duties on social media companies and search services by making them more responsible for user safety;
- Moldova’s 2024 revision of Law No. 45/2007 on Preventing and Combating Family Violence, which accounts for TFGBV;
- Colombia’s 2024 ban on underage marriage;
- India’s 2024 announcement for a Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children scheme.
The year 2022:
- The United States’ 2022 Violence Against Women Act – Reauthorization Act, which strengthens programs addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
The year 2021:
- Australia’s 2021 Online Safety Act, which makes online service providers accountable for the online safety of their users by regulating harmful material;
- Zimbabwe’s 2021 Cyber and Data Protection Act, which increases cybersecurity and data privacy.
The year 2020:
- Ireland’s 2020 Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act, which criminalises sharing or threatening to share an intimate image without consent;
- South Africa’s 2020 Cybercrimes Act 19, which creates cybercrimes as new criminal offences.
The year 2019:
- Italy’s 2019 update to Law No. 69, which protects victims of domestic and gender-based violence and criminalises the non-consensual distribution of intimate images;
- Mexico’s 2019 Olimpia Law criminalises digital violence that violates sexual privacy.
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The year 2018:
- Kenya’s 2018 Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, which aims to protect privacy and data while supporting the prevention and prosecution of cybercrimes;
- Brazil’s 2018 Law No. 13.642, which criminalises misogynistic content;
- Bangladesh’s 2018 Digital Security Act, which was replaced by the 2023 Cyber Security Act (though both have been heavily criticised).
The year 2016:
- Paraguay’s 2016 Law No. 5777/16, which is for the comprehensive protection of women against all forms of violence.
Ethnicity also plays a role in the experiences of those subjected to TFGBV as 37 per cent of the girls from ethnic minority groups who reported online harassment in one study said it was due to their ethnicity. Lastly, younger girls are an age group highly likely to be impacted by TFGBV as over 80 per cent of female youths between the ages of thirteen to twenty-four have received unwanted or inappropriate sexual messages online.
Other notable international tools and instruments that were identified by the participants included:
- The United Nations’ 1994 Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls as the first independent human rights mechanism on the elimination of violence against women and girls;
- The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)’s 2017 General recommendation No. 35 on gender-based violence against women, updating general recommendation No. 19, which recognises the prohibition of gender-based violence as a norm of customary international law;
- The International Labour Organisation’s 2019 Violence and Harassment Convention (No. 190);
- The United Nations’ 2020 Resolution 75/161, which intensifies efforts to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls;
- The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe’s 2023 Recommendation CM/Rec (2023) 2, which improves access to justice and support for victims of crimes; and
- The United Nations’ 2024 Report of the Secretary-General, which focuses on technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.
The UNFPA’s third Global Symposium was a fruitful gathering of some of the brightest experts working to address TFGBV around the world. The event not only produced a collection of diverse and useful resources for all of the participants but also reinforced global solidarity for coordinated efforts to address TFGBV together.
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