Team Europe United Against Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: Building Inclusive and Democratic Digital Spaces

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is one of the most pressing challenges at the intersection of gender equality, digital transformation, and democratic governance. The prevalence of personally experiencing online violence against women globally is at 38 per cent.

For the European Union, addressing TFGBV is a core part of its human-centric approach to digital transformation, which places fundamental rights, equality, and democratic participation at the centre of technological development. This commitment is reflected in the Directive (EU) 2024/1385 on combating violence against women and domestic violence, which establishes the first EU-wide binding legislation criminalising certain forms of violence against women, including online violence, and requiring Member States to implement robust prevention, protection, victim support, access to justice, and coordination measures. This Directive is complemented by a range of strategic frameworks for 2020–2025, including the Gender Equality Strategy, and the Victims’ Rights Strategy. 

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Online harassment, threats, disinformation and abuse are increasingly used to silence women’s voices, restrict civic participation and undermine democratic debate, particularly targeting women journalists, human rights defenders, feminist leaders and women in public life. At the same time, digital spaces remain critical enablers of women’s participation, leadership and empowerment. They offer access to information, public debate, economic opportunities, political engagement and collective action across borders. Ensuring that women can participate safely and freely online is therefore not only a matter of protection, but a prerequisite for inclusive digital transformation and resilient democracies.

Against this backdrop, the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub and the Team Europe Democracy (TED) Initiative jointly convened a public webinar on 16 December, bringing together EU institutions, EU Member States, international organisations and feminist civil society. The webinar was moderated by Brigitte Luggin, Policy Officer at the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships. The discussion highlighted that TFGBV is not a marginal or purely digital issue, but a systemic threat to democratic participation, and that coordinated, multi-stakeholder action can make a real difference. 

Please find the webinar report attached below.