A new report from UN Women raises the alarm about a growing phenomenon, artificial intelligence-assisted online abuse that is directly impacting women's participation in public life. Journalists, activists and human rights defenders are increasingly becoming targets of attacks, including deepfakes and severe forms of digital violence.
The study, conducted in collaboration with St George's University of London and the digital laboratory TheNerve , founded by Nobel Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa, presents a worrying situation on a global scale.
More than 640 women from 119 countries participated in the survey at the end of 2025. The results show that 27% of them have received unwanted sexual messages or images, 12% have seen personal material shared without their consent, while 6% have been victims of manipulated or completely fake visual content.
According to the report, these attacks are not random. In many cases, they are organized with the aim of damaging the reputation and credibility of women, gradually pushing them to withdraw from the public space. At the heart of this phenomenon are technologies known as Deepfake , which allow the creation of fake images and videos in a matter of minutes and at minimal cost.
The consequences are already visible, with over 40% of women stating that they self-censor on social media to avoid attacks, while almost one in five has limited her professional space.
The psychological impact is equally severe. One in four women report anxiety or depression, while many more face deeper consequences such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
As the report's lead researcher, Julie Posetti, points out, artificial intelligence has made these forms of abuse easier to carry out than ever before. She warns that this type of violence is accelerating the exclusion of women from public discourse and is becoming a serious obstacle to their rights.
Another major problem remains the institutional response. Although many cases are reported, only a small proportion end up with legal action. In fact, some women state that when they have approached the authorities, they have been faced with blaming attitudes, asking what they had done to “cause” the situation.
Experts stress the urgent need for better training for the police and the judiciary, as well as for stricter regulation of technology companies. Without concrete measures, they warn, digital abuse aided by artificial intelligence risks reinforcing inequalities and limiting women's voices in society.
