Nov. 25 is historically significant in the Philippines because it marks the National Consciousness Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children.

In 2012, President Benigno Aquino III signed Republic Act No. 10398, declaring Nov. 25 as a national observance day to raise awareness and combat violence against women and children. The United Nations is leading a global 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women, which runs from Nov. 25 to Dec. 12.

Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life.

It is a scourge that has intensified in different settings, but this year, the campaign for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women focuses on one in particular: the digital realm. Violence against women on online platforms is, today, a serious and rapidly growing threat due to weak technological regulation.

Lack of legal recognition of this type of aggression in some countries has abetted the rise of impunity of digital platforms marked by new and fast-evolving movements opposing gender equality, the anonymity of perpetrators, and the limited support for digital victims.

The global observance of the international days to eliminate Violence Against Women converges with the commemoration of International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. The UN’s 2025 campaign places special emphasis on curbing digital violence.

Governments are urged to end impunity through laws that penalize it; technology companies must ensure the safety of platforms and remove harmful content; donors must provide funding so that feminist organizations can work to eradicate this violence.

Focal point of attention are digital tools that are increasingly being used to stalk, harass, and abuse women and girls, including the following instances cited by the UN: image-based abuse and non-consensual sharing of intimate images; cyberbullying, trolling, and online threats; online harassment and sexual harassment; AI-generated deepfakes such as sexually explicit images, deepfake pornography, and digitally manipulated images, videos or audio; hate speech and disinformation on social media platforms. Also vital points of attention are online stalking or surveillance; online grooming and sexual exploitation; impersonation; and the proliferation of misogynistic networks.

What has become truly concerning is that these acts do not just happen online. They often lead to offline violence in real life, such as coercion, physical abuse, and even femicide, the killing of women and girls. The harm can be long-lasting and affect survivors over a prolonged period of time.

Digital violence targets women more than men, across all walks of life, but especially those with public or online visibility – such as activists, journalists, women in politics, human rights defenders, and young women.

Fewer than 40 percent of countries have laws protecting women from cyber harassment or cyber stalking. The UN also reports that 44 percent of the world’s women and girls, numbering some 1.8 billion, do not have access to legal protection.

The Philippine Commission on Women promotes a comprehensive approach that involves women and girls, men and boys, government agencies, and barangays. Keys to effective implementation include heightened awareness; elevated respect for women’s and girls’ rights; targeted approaches by government agencies; inclusive efforts at the barangay level; and heightened advocacy by academic institutions.