UNITED NATIONS, New York/MOLDOVA, Chișinău - Gender-based violence is increasing globally – not only in the physical world but also across digital spaces. There was a 550 per cent increase in AI-generated abusive video content between 2019 and 2023, for example. Some 98 per cent of this content took the form of nonconsensually produced deepfakes – something survivors have called “virtual rape”; 99 per cent of it targeted women.
As leaders from around the world convene today at United Nations Headquarters in New York for the 59th Commission on Population and Development, they will examine how technology and research are shaping sustainable development. But these tools can only deliver true, lasting gains if they are grounded in a human-first mindset – one that protects people’s rights and keeps them, and their data, safe.
Globally, about 60 per cent of young women and girls have experienced online harassment on a social media platform, most of them experiencing this by age 16. Yet despite the scale of the harm, digital spaces still lack the safeguards needed to prevent technology-facilitated gender-based violence. In many countries, these abuses remain poorly defined in law, if they are recognized at all.
But this can change. And the Republic of Moldova offers a powerful example,
recently introducing protections against digital violence for the first time in that country.
How were these reforms enacted? Through the voices of survivors and a groundswell of community advocacy.
The lived reality of digital violence
In 2024 alone, the Moldovan helpline Women and Girls Trust Line registered 2,024 calls related to various forms of violence against women. Nearly every other case of domestic violence involved the use of information technologies.
Sorina* is one survivor of this kind of abuse. Her partner, Gabriel*, was physically violent and used threats to trap her. After taking a photo of her bathing without her consent, “He told me that if we separated, he would create a Facebook account and post that photo. That’s what kept me in the relationship.”
When Sorina finally tried to separate, the abuse followed her online. Gabriel created social media accounts in her name, posted photos, and wrote sexually explicit messages with her phone number. As a result, she received harassment from predatory strangers. "Digital violence destroys reputations and lives,” Sorina said. “Your reality becomes a lie constructed by the aggressor that everyone ends up believing."
This was Alina’s* experience, too. After she divorced her abusive husband, Victor*, she began to receive messages showing that she was being watched. When she turned on the kitchen light, for instance, a message would appear: “You used to drink tea with me – who are you drinking it with now?”
She went to the police, but they told her the messages contained no direct threats, so there was nothing they could do.
Building a movement to meet the moment
Survivors like Sorina and Alina helped show community leaders and lawmakers the real-world toll of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Still, it took years of tireless advocacy, partnership and public engagement to change the law.
One key moment came in 2023, when the government, including Moldova’s Parliament, as well the Council of Europe, civil society, media and others came together in support of the bodyright campaign. The campaign engaged dozens of public leaders, who declared they were “united against digital violence.” Moldovan artist Dara released a song, “Neiubire Virtuală” (“Virtual Un-Love”), about online bullying.
This advocacy continued in 2024, through #ClickWithoutViolence events held for students across the country. These events included facilitated discussions on digital violence, protection and safe online behaviour.
“One of the colleagues at our table shared an experience of online abuse, which made us understand that online harassment is a phenomenon very close to us," one tenth-grade student, Alexandru, shared in Hâncești.
Driving legislative change
These efforts culminated in a July 2024 public consultation organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, with support from UNFPA. There, participants presented findings on how digital safety could be embedded into Moldova’s laws.
One year later, Moldova adopted a comprehensive legislative package that, for the first time, introduced criminal liability for digital violence. The package also strengthened survivor protections, including longer protection orders and court-ordered deletion or removal of abusive content. It entered into force February this year.
And these efforts are continuing. With UNFPA’s support, Moldova recently launched eviolenta.md, the country’s first dedicated online resource for preventing digital violence, offering information on abuse, protection and available services.
A model of progress for others
Moldova’s legislative breakthrough shows that combating digital violence requires a multi-faceted approach. “For us, ensuring safety in the digital space means expanding the concept of safety into every sphere of life,” said Viorica Țîmbalari, Director of the National Agency for the Prevention and Combating of Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.
That is why responses are extending to classrooms and communities and, crucially, involving young people – who are today the largest generation of digital users and innovators. They have the power to shape the future of technology and development. “Digital violence is a challenge of our time, but also an opportunity to show that justice, empathy, and respect can evolve along with technology,” Ms. Țîmbalari said.
As global leaders meet in New York to consider how technology is shaping sustainable development, Moldova’s example shows that digital protections are a necessary – and achievable – part of building a better future.
