Digital violence is one of the fastest-growing forms of gender-based harm — from cyberstalking and doxxing to deepfakes, image-based abuse, hate speech, data theft, misinformation and online grooming. These acts leave deep psychological, social and economic consequences, and are part of a continuum that can escalate into offline violence, including femicide.
As part of the 2025 UNiTE campaign, the PsySSA Trauma and Violence Division highlights 16 key forms of digital violence and practical steps that individuals, communities, platforms and policymakers can take to keep women and girls safe online.
Across the next 16 days, we unpack the legal, technological and socio-educational actions needed to strengthen digital rights, hold perpetrators accountable, and build online spaces rooted in dignity, equality and justice.
Explore each day’s graphic and message below to learn how digital violence operates — and what we must do to end it.
Day 1
Digital violence is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified using information and communication technologies or digital media. Online violence includes direct personal attacks such as trolling, privacy violations and surveillance, exploitation, trafficking, abuse, and manipulation. Digital violence is part of a continuum that escalates to femicide. Follow us from 25 November to 10 December for 16 days of activism against digital violence to find out about legal, technological, and socio-educational steps that can be taken to protect women and girls. It is time to establish clear legal definitions and categories of digital violence in national law to ensure consistent recognition and enforcement. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 2
Language perpetuates violence. Posting misogynistic slurs and degrading comments targeting women online normalises misogyny and silences marginalised voices. Misogynistic content on the manosphere is fuelling digital abuse and spreading disinformation and hate. When these toxic ideas go viral, they shape how entire generations see and treat women and girls. Enforce platform-level moderation policies that automatically detect and remove gender-based hate speech, combined with stronger reporting mechanisms. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 3
Cyberbullying is not banter – It is violence: when a child repeatedly receives abusive messages or is excluded from online groups by peers; young women face coordinated attacks through insults and threats; women journalists are censored, harassed, and abused for telling the truth; professional women’s expertise and reputations, careers and credibility are undermined; women politicians are targeted with smear campaigns and threats online. Implement mandatory digital literacy and anti-harassment training in schools, workplaces, and political institutions. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 4
Many gaming spaces foster misogyny, exclude women from participation, or don’t protect women from bullying. Women gamers receive sexist abuse and threats during online play. Gaming should be fun, not hostile. Women deserve safe spaces in every digital world. Require real-time moderation and reporting tools in gaming platforms, with penalties for repeat offenders. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 5
Personal data (incl. identity numbers) can be stolen and misused to obtain credit, loans, goods, services, or medical, disability, and other benefits. Some Apps collect children’s personal data without consent or safeguards. Promote multi-factor authentication (MFA) and regular cybersecurity awareness campaigns for all users in your organisation and your home. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 6
Consent matters. Sharing intimate images of a woman without her permission (e.g., “revenge porn” and sextortion) is abuse, not entertainment. It causes lasting trauma and reputational harm and exploits vulnerabilities, trapping women in cycles of silence and abuse. Ensure and enforce strict criminal laws for penalising perpetrators and rapid takedown mechanisms should be provided for victims. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 7
Persistently monitoring a woman’s online activity and repeatedly contacting her without consent is cyberstalking. Cyberstalking is not harmless just because it happens online: it creates fear and anxiety that follows women everywhere, often escalating offline. Strengthen protection orders and digital restraining tools to allow victims to block and report stalkers across platforms. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 8
Publishing private data such as a home address or phone number online (i.e., doxxing) exposes women to threats, harassment, stalking, and physical danger. Doxxing isn’t exposure – it’s violence. Women’s privacy must be protected and stronger laws against online abuse are needed. Prosecute unauthorised sharing of personal data and enforce privacy-by-design standards on platforms. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 9
Sending unwanted sexual content and unsolicited sexual images, explicit messages, unwanted sexual solicitation or requests via messaging apps or social media constitutes digital violence. Sexual soliciting of a child is a crime. Introduce automatic content filters (e.g., AI detection of explicit images) with opt-in consent features for receiving media. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 10
The distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) such as images and videos online is illegal and is considered child sexual abuse and is illegal. Require global cooperation with specialised detection technologies and immediate law enforcement escalation. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 11
Violent extremist organisations and criminal networks (e.g. smugglers) target children through online games or forums. Children must never be pressured into risky online challenges or harmful trends or manipulated into online scams or forced digital labour. Invest in counter-narrative campaigns and AI-driven detection of extremist propaganda to disrupt recruitment pipelines. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 12
Technology platforms have been weaponised for trafficking, coercion, abuse including sexual exploitation, and smuggling operations. Women and girls are groomed through social media and coerced into sharing sexual images. Enhance cross-border law enforcement collaboration and require platforms to flag suspicious recruitment/job ads. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 13
Girls are targeted with ads for age-inappropriate products (e.g., alcohol, gambling). They can also encounter online material promoting self-harm, suicide, or violent extremism. Enforce age-appropriate content filters and ban targeted ads for harmful products (e.g., tobacco, illegal drugs). There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 14
Biased social media and AI algorithms amplify and promote misogyny and misogynistic content, spreading harmful content and radicalising attitudes, ultimately driving digital violence. Technology must be built for equity, not harm. Require independent audits of algorithms to ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in recommendation systems. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 15
AI is used to create fake explicit videos of women and spreading them online. Such explicit content disproportionately targets women, undermining their credibility, and safety. Women in politics are more likely to be targeted by deepfakes than men. Technology must empower, not exploit. Develop robust verification tools (e.g., watermarking, fact-checking partnerships) and criminalise malicious deepfake creation. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF
Day 16
The UN declared 2025 the Year to End Digital Violence, calling for global action against cyberstalking, deepfakes, and online harassment. Technology-enabled gender-based violence is fuelled by online anonymity, accessibility, and virality. Digital violence is often aimed at silencing women by eroding their confidence and participation in digital spaces. Technology-facilitated abuse is rapidly increasing in South Africa. Join the global movement and launch local awareness campaigns highlighting digital rights as human rights and promote safe online spaces. There is #NoExcuse for online abuse. #PsySSATVD #GBVF