The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has called on Arab governments to criminalize all forms of digital violence targeting women and girls, warning of escalating harm both online and offline in the absence of strong legal frameworks.
The call comes as part of a regional initiative launched Tuesday, accompanied by a policy brief titled “Digital Violence in the Arab States: Overview and Legal Good Practices,” which draws on 2022 research across the region. The report outlines widespread impunity, inadequate legal protections, and an urgent need for survivor-centered justice.
The initiative also urges governments to guarantee survivors’ access to support and justice, integrate trauma-informed approaches in service provision, and bolster protections for women in public life—especially human rights defenders and politicians—to safeguard their rights to free expression and safety.
Egypt’s penal code was cited in the brief as an example of efforts to address online abuse. However, the report also highlighted the absence of a comprehensive law addressing violence against women, despite years of grassroots advocacy.
In 2017, six feminist organizations drafted a unified anti-violence bill. Though introduced in Parliament by MP Nadia Henry in 2018 and again by MP Nashwa El-Deeb in 2022, the proposal ultimately vanished from the legislative agenda, El-Deeb told Al Manassa.
In April 2025, the Egyptian Center for Women Legal Assistance released a second draft of the bill, co-authored by five rights groups. It includes 81 articles spanning definitions, judicial procedures, and categories of violence—including digital and sexual—as well as a new chapter on protections. That chapter proposes a state-funded Victims’ Assistance Fund offering compensation and psychosocial support to survivors.
The scope of digital abuse is staggering. UN data shows that nearly 8 million women in Egypt endure violence each year. Among female human rights defenders, 70% reported receiving unsolicited sexual images, 62% received hate speech, and 58% experienced harassing or obscene calls.
Girls are not spared. Most first-time online harassment occurs between ages 14 and 16, and 49% of Arab women internet users report feeling unsafe online.
The impact is not limited to the screen. 44% of those targeted said the abuse extended to real life. 36% were told to ignore the violence, 23% were blamed for it, and 12% reported being physically assaulted by family members after disclosing their experiences.
The study also investigated perpetrators’ motives. Over a quarter of men who admitted to digital abuse said they did it because they believed it was their “right,” while others cited amusement as the reason.
The policy report recommendations call for three primary actions: enacting legislation to explicitly prohibit digital violence; enhancing law enforcement’s capacity to prosecute these crimes, and holding tech companies accountable.
This accountability must be enforced through transparent content management, immediate takedown procedures, and survivor-aligned policies that meet international human rights standards, the report urges.
Most Arab legal systems fall short. Some, like Egypt, have amended existing sexual harassment laws to include online acts. But the piecemeal approach fails to capture the specific ways digital violence targets women and girls, and leaves many without recourse or protection.
