UN Women Report: AI Intensifies Online Violence Against Women

A new report from UN Women reveals that artificial intelligence is intensifying online violence against women in public life, with deepfakes and other digital abuses prompting widespread self-censorship and mental health crises among journalists, activists and human rights defenders. The study, titled "Tipping Point: Online Violence Impacts, Manifestations and Redress in the AI Age," surveyed 641 women across 119 countries in late 2024 and was released ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

The report documents a surge in technologically advanced harassment. Twelve percent of respondents experienced non-consensual sharing of personal images, including intimate content, while 6 percent were targeted by deepfakes or manipulated imagery. Nearly one in three received unsolicited sexual advances or cyberflashing through direct messages. These attacks, often coordinated to undermine professional credibility, have doubled for women journalists since 2020, according to the findings.

The psychological toll is severe. Nearly 25 percent of female journalists and media workers reported diagnoses of anxiety or depression linked to the abuse, and 13 percent received posttraumatic stress...