ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN POLITICS: ENSURING SAFE ONLINE SPACES Virtual round table to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women Tuesday, 25 November 2025 is organized by the IPU and its partners in the context of the WYDE | Women’s Leadership project “Advancing Women’s Political Participation and Decision-Making through Social Norms Change, Networking and Global Advocacy” implemented from 2024 to 2027 by UN Women, International IDEA, the IPU, and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) with the support of the European Commission within the framework of the European Union (EU) Women and Youth Democratic Engagement initiative. The virtual round table is open to members of parliament, representatives of local, regional or national governments, representatives of tech platforms, civil society, international organizations, academia and the media, leaders and partners of the EU WYDE initiative, leaders and commitment-makers of Generation Equality’s Feminist Movements and Leadership (FML) and invited guests and experts.
The virtual round table aims to:
-Exchange knowledge and improve understanding of digital violence against women and its impact on women’s political participation.
-Showcase good practices and innovative approaches of different stakeholders to counter online harassment, abuse and disinformation.
-Inform the development of knowledge building and training tools for MPs on addressing and combatting digital violence against women in politics.
-Provide advice on digital resilience, showcasing online safety tools and facilitating peer support.
Background :
Gender-based violence undermines women’s equal and full participation in politics. Women who seek to or hold public office often face targeted harassment, intimidation, and abuse aimed at silencing their voices and discouraging their participation. This violence, whether psychological, physical, sexual, or economic, is a threat not only to women in general but also to women parliamentarians resulting in parliaments being less inclusive spaces and, in consequence, weakened. Four Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) studies1 confirm that sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments is very widespread – between 80% and 85% of the women MPs surveyed by the IPU indicated they had faced some form of psychological violence during their term in parliament.
The digital sphere, while an essential platform for leadership, has become an increasingly hostile environment for women in politics and public life. Online harassment, deepfake attacks and coordinated disinformation campaigns are frequently used to silence women leaders, undermine their credibility and deter their participation in public decision-making. Digital platforms and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), are increasingly being misused to amplify these attacks and intimidate women, further deepening inequalities and entrenching barriers to their political engagement. As an example, the IPU’s 2025 study Sexism, harassment and violence against women in parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region showed that 60% of the women MPs surveyed had reported online gender-based violence, 38% of whom had experienced online hate speech, 17% image based abuse (including deepfakes) and 18% doxing. All in all, such trends represent a direct threat to gender equality and democracy.
In 2025, the global theme for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”. The campaign highlights that women with high online visibility, including politicians and journalists, face high levels of targeted, coordinated digital attacks aimed at silencing and discrediting them. Social media serving as the main platform for such abuse – over 44% of women MPs report receiving death, rape, assault, or abduction threats directed at them or their families.2 In response, the campaign aims to push for legal reform, invest in solutions and centre women’s voices in the digital space.
Inspired by the goals of the UNiTe campaign and building on the outcomes of the 2024 IPU led WYDE dialogue on Strategies and tools to support women in public life against gender-based violence online and offline, the 25 November 2025 virtual round table will focus on solutions and accountability, showcasing effective measures to prevent, respond to and eliminate online violence targeting women in politics. It will also explore partnerships among stakeholders including parliaments, governments, civil society, women leaders and tech platforms to transform online spaces into environments where women can lead safely and confidently.
The round table is being organized under the WYDE | Women’s Leadership Initiative, a collaborative effort funded by the European Union and implemented by UN Women, together with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), to advance women’s full and effective political participation and decision-making at all levels.
