New Delhi, Nov 25: As the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, this year’s theme shines a spotlight on a growing and disturbing trend: digital violence against women and girls.

Violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world. Globally, almost one in three women has been subjected to physical or sexual violence at least once in her life. Even more shocking is the fact that every 10 minutes, a woman or girl is killed.

This year, the theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2025 focuses on - digital violence.

While technology has transformed lives, it has also opened new avenues for abuse. Women across the globe are increasingly facing harassment through social media platforms, messaging apps, and other digital tools. Online threats, stalking, misuse of personal photos, and cyberbullying have turned the internet into an unsafe space for many.

What is digital abuse?
Cyberbullying, Mass-trolling, and online threats.
Sharing of intimate and morphed images, videos and audio without consent -often called as revenge porn or leaked nudes.
Gender based slurs and misogynistic content
Doxxing - which means publishing private information.
Catfishing and impersonating someone else.
Online stalking or monitoring someone’s activities.
Online grooming and sexual exploitation.

How to Prevent and Respond to Digital Abuse

To prevent digital abuse, always use strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, avoid sharing personal information publicly, and block suspicious accounts. If digital abuse happens, take screenshots as evidence, block the abuser immediately, change your passwords, and report the incident to cybercrime portal. Seek support from trusted friends, family, or professionals , and never hesitate to file a complaint with the police or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and other portals for protection.

NCW 24×7 Women Helpline - 7827170170 / Complaints can also be lodged directly through the NCW website.
National women helpline number -181
Cyber Crime Helpline - 1930 / Online portal- cybercrime.gov.in

To build safer digital spaces, awareness, strong laws, and responsible use of technology are necessary. Empowering women with digital safety skills is the key to reducing technology based harassment.

(By Aditi Majhi)