Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs)—particularly those from marginalised groups—face targeted online abuse from both state and non-state actors because of their public-facing advocacy. They are attacked not only for what they say, but also for who they are, with online abuse often escalating into offline harm. 

The third session of the Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) Policy Dialogue Series – “Mitigating Online Violence Against Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs)” – held on 14 August 2025, sought to identify key gaps, share promising practices, and develop recommendations to strengthen protection and support for WHRDs facing TFGBV.

The session was part of the Policy Dialogue Series, an on-going initiative from UN Women and the SVRI Community of Practice on TFGBV to bring together governments, feminist civil society organisations, tech experts, human rights defenders, and researchers to address critical and under-documented issues related to TFGBV.

Addressing the urgent needs of Women Human Rights Defenders

The discussion was guided by two central questions: 

• How does TFGBV impact the safety, work, and well-being of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs)? 

• What are the most urgent needs for effective protection mechanisms and services for them?

To address these, the session highlighted international efforts and institutional initiatives dedicated to defending WHRDs, while amplifying the voices of women defenders themselves. Participants shared first-hand perspectives on the challenges of exercising free expression both online and offline, as well as the daily risks they face from harassment, surveillance, and silencing.

Through collaborative dialogue and a participatory exercise, we were able to identify the current needs for WHRDs’ protection, as well as the tools and mechanisms already in place to safeguard their rights. The discussion underscored the importance of coordinated action—by governments, international organizations, and technology companies—while also recognising the unique challenges WHRDs face. For example, questions were raised about the lack of protection for WHRDs criminalised by their own states and the insufficient investment in cybersecurity for defenders at risk.

A central theme throughout the session was the recognition that TFGBV against women defenders is not only a personal attack, but also a direct threat to democratic life itself.

Current efforts and progress for the protection of WHRD

Global alliances against TFGBV

Micha Ramakers, Deputy Head of Unit, Gender Equality, Human Rights and Democratic Governance at the EU, emphasized the EU’s active participation in different spaces addressing the eradication of TFGBV and advancing the agendas of WHRDs. The EU is a co-leader of the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence, which has collectively pledged 10.3 billion USD, implemented 1,184 policies and 150 programmes, and carried out 3,620 advocacy initiatives.

In the field of TFGBV specifically, the initiative invests in capacity building for women’s rights organisations to respond to online harassment, supports research and advocacy to improve laws and policies, and promotes cross-sectoral partnerships with civil society and governments to ensure safer and more inclusive digital spaces.

Ramakers also highlighted the Spotlight Initiative, launched with an initial 500 million Euro funding (2017–2023), as a major EU-UN partnership dedicated to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls. This initiative is now continuing as Spotlight 2.0 with substantial funding.

Another partnership mentioned in relation to WHRDs and TFGBV was the Digital for Democracy Initiative (DDI), a collaboration between Denmark, Norway, and the EU, which is funding a regional project in Latin America to counter TFGBV.

“DDI seeks to improve the legal framework to combat TFGBV, raise public awareness, reinforce the protection of women human rights defenders and women decision makers in the digital sphere, and strengthen the capacities of organizations working to eradicate the TFGBV.” – Micha Ramakers

Progress in South America

Leyla Seguel, from the International Affairs Department of the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity, Government of Chile, shared advances from Latin America in TFGBV and WHRD protection. A key milestone in Chile was the passing of the comprehensive law against violence towards women, which recognizes digital violence in the media and sanctions the non-consensual distribution of intimate material. This law strengthens privacy protections and expands tools for criminal prosecution.

On the protection of women defenders, Seguel noted that the government of Chile is  working on a bill on digital violence developed with the direct participation of WHRDs, feminist organizations, and digital rights advocates. As she emphasized:

“Laws must be designed and applied with direct participation of Women Human Rights Defenders, feminist organisation and digital rights advocates.” – Leyla Seguel

She also outlined progress on a protocol for the protection of Human Rights Defenders, which establishes inter-institutional coordination to safeguard defenders facing threats and attacks. This includes public recognition of defenders’ work, risk assessment, awareness campaigns, national prevention and protection mechanisms, training for key government actors, and comprehensive support, with emphasis on mental health care.

Inputs from grassroots communities

From a community-based perspective, Rachael Mwikali, co-founder and National Convener of the Coalition for Grassroots Human Rights Defenders (CGHRD) Kenya, highlighted the importance of educating communities and constituents, and of engaging with media and local actors to make TFGBV more visible. She stressed the need to integrate TFGBV into broader women’s rights, feminist spaces, and GBV conversations, underlining the everyday realities faced by WHRDs.

“…if we are able to educate our communities, it will help in terms of community protection. And these are also some of the conversations even with us, in our communities, in our spaces, in the local community, at the grassroot level. Because it’s doing a lot of character assassination, it’s taking away legitimacy for our work.” – Rachael Mwikali

The session also highlighted how TFGBV is a rapidly expanding phenomenon, encompassing cyberstalking, doxxing, gender disinformation, revenge porn, and deepfake porn. These forms of abuse generate a climate of fear that systematically excludes women from online and civic discourse, with serious physical and psychological consequences. Participants emphasized the severe toll on WHRDs, including hypervigilance, constant exposure to threats, and, in some cases, physical danger that has forced women human rights defenders into relocation or exile. 

Beyond personal harm, TFGBV has profound consequences for women’s democratic participation. As moderator Nkem Agunwa, Senior Programme Manager for Africa at WITNESS, underscored, women defenders are silenced, ridiculed, and subjected to character assassination, while their experiences are used as a cautionary tale to deter other women and girls from speaking out.

TFGBV directly threatens the fight for gender inclusivity and women’s ability to engage in democratic processes. It is a tactic to silence critics, to perpetrate a climate of fear, and to exclude women from online and civic discourse altogether.” – Nkem Agunwa

Key shifts needed to strengthen response to protect WHRD

Across all discussions, and echoed by participants, several urgent shifts emerged:

• Build cross-border response mechanisms: With perpetrators, platforms, and victims often located in different countries, participants stressed the need to build cross-border responses and establish systems to flag, observe, and escalate quickly.
• Ensure tech company accountability: A major challenge remains that tech companies do not consistently recognise or address TFGBV against WHRDs. Clearer procedures and stronger commitments are needed to strengthen their role in prevention and response.
• Avoid punitive-only frameworks: Participants warned that when frameworks are enforced with an exclusively punitive mindset, there is a risk of over-monitoring, arbitrary content removal, or even the criminalization of legitimate activism.
• Guarantee both safety and participation: The focus should be on guaranteeing this safety in ways that also preserve their ability to participate in public and political life, especially for younger generations.
• Design laws with WHRDs’ direct involvement: Laws must be designed and applied with direct participation of women human rights defenders, feminist organizations, and digital rights advocates, ensuring policies are grounded in lived realities.

What’s Next?

The inputs from this session, together with those from our two last dialogues, will inform a set of shared, action-oriented advocacy messages to be promoted during the UNiTE Campaign and 16 Days of Activism later this year.

The next session will focus on engaging the Manosphere—spaces that replicate misogynistic messages—in efforts to prevent TFGBV.

To continue engaging, join SVRI’s TFGBV Community of Practice and share resources, research, or examples of national-level action.

This blog was written by Alexandra De Fillippo and Khwezi Magwaza, Facilitators of the TFGBV CoP, and Andrea Chavez.