On 24 September, the International Gender Champions (IGC) Secretariat held its fifth Espresso for Equality session of the year, bringing together Geneva-based actors to explore the implications of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) for the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
Shimona Mohan and Hana Salama, both researchers at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), presented their new factsheet on the implications of TFGBV for international peace and security. During their input, they highlighted how technology can facilitate and amplify different forms of gender-based violence, including cyber harassment, image-based sexual abuse, technology-facilitated trafficking, and gendered misinformation and disinformation.
The session explored why digital forms of violence matter for international peace and security. Participants highlighted how TFGBV can extend beyond the digital sphere, with documented links between online and offline harm. Cases like Ethiopia and Myanmar illustrate how gendered misinformation and online hate speech can fuel conflict-related gender-based violence. As such, TFGBV poses a significant challenge to the participation and protection pillars of the WPS agenda by exposing women in public life to risks of online harassment and threats, suppressing their participation in civic, political and peacebuilding processes. Women engaging on the frontlines as human rights defenders, journalists and politicians are particularly likely to withdraw from digital spaces.
Speakers outlined practical steps to address these challenges, including integrating TFGBV into early warning and accountability mechanisms, strengthening data collection and reporting, and addressing TFGBV within cybersecurity policies and WPS National Action Plans. Looking ahead, future research will focus on identifying pathways and contextual factors in the escalation of TFGBV into offline harm, including the role of armed conflict and online subcultures such as the “manosphere”.
During the interactive discussion, participants engaged in a conversation about how these findings could be translated into the work of Geneva-based actors and their respective institutional contexts while also highlighting positive examples to date. Despite the global gender backlash, TFGBV has gained ground in multilateral instruments such as the UN Convention against Cybercrime, and the Global Digital Compact. However, the implementation of national legislation, as well as law enforcement capacity, remain a challenge, calling on Member States to cooperate in addressing legislative gaps and strengthening cross-border coherence.
