“LET’S UNITE to stop digital violence against women and girls” is the theme of this year’s “Orange the World – 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign, which starts on 25 November, when we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day.
Unfortunately, violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread forms of human rights violations worldwide, affecting 1 in 3 women globally despite decades of progress in laws, services and prevention.
Despite the lack of globally comparable data, studies show that the prevalence of digital violence against women and girls ranges from 16 to 58 per cent. Digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, are accelerating this violence and driving new forms of it, including image-based abuse, deepfakes, gendered disinformation and coordinated harassment.
Between 90 and 95 per cent of online deepfakes are sexual images of women. The spread and normalisation of misogynistic content through the manosphere reinforces harmful social norms that are used to justify violence both online and offline. Women with a high level of public visibility, including women journalists, human rights defenders, women politicians and feminist activists, as well as young women, are at increased risk of digital violence.
“Faced with a global backlash against gender equality and women’s rights, the European Union remains firmly committed to equality, safety and dignity for all. Gender-based violence, both online and offline, is a serious violation of human rights that undermines the EU’s core values, erodes social cohesion and slows economic development. Today, every third woman is affected. This is a global human rights emergency that must be brought to an end. As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, one of the most ambitious global agreements on women’s rights, we must stand united to turn that vision into reality.
The EU strongly condemns digital violence and disinformation as tools of political intimidation and hybrid warfare, including when directed against students, women leaders, women journalists and human rights defenders. In today’s digital age, we further reaffirm our determination to combat online and technology-facilitated violence, to ensure accountability for perpetrators and to build a safer digital space for all women and girls”, underlined the EU Ambassador to Serbia, Andreas von Beckerath.
We invite you to follow our social media channels and get involved in this campaign.
#16DaysOfActivism2025 #NoExcuse for digital violence #StopViolence #NoExcuse #ACTtoEndViolence
Calendar of all activities in Serbia during the “16 Days of Activism” campaign
