Protecting Women Who Lead: A New Global Repository of Laws Countering Online Violence in Politics

By Cäcilia Riederer

The Urgency of Online Violence Against Women in Politics

UN Women’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence served as a powerful reminder that we are in the midst of an urgent crisis that is threatening the future of democracy: the alarming growth of online violence targeting women in political life.

This tech-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is not a fringe issue but a systemic barrier. Women politicians endure a type of harassment that is deeply personal and sexualized, silencing voices and deterring participation. Such digital abuse breeds distrust, weakens institutions, and normalizes hostility in public leadership roles.

Online harassment spills over into into real-world harm, leading to escalating physical attacks and psychological violence affecting around 80% of women parliamentarians worldwide. The assault on women’s digital safety is not isolated; it fractures democratic representation and undermines hard-won gains in gender equality by silencing aspiring and current leaders.

Innovative Solutions Shaping the Fight

Ending online political violence demands a multifaceted and innovative response. Our approach at the Better Politics Foundation is structured around seven pillars of innovation:

1. Knowledge Creation: Rigorous research maps how harmful norms and digital violence suppress political participation and impact mental well-being.
   

2. Safety Training and Upskilling: Programs like our Safety in Office training, as well as the social media self-defense training in collaboration with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner and Fundación Multitudes, equip women leaders with digital protection tools and critical resilience skills.
   

3. Technological Tools and AI Content Moderation: Our partnership with TrollWall AI delivers real-time, AI-powered moderation to automatically filter toxic, hateful, and misogynistic comments, protecting women politicians and fostering safer digital discourse on social media.
   

4. Coalition Building: The Solidarity Alliance, recently launched on the sidelines of the 2025 G20 Summit in Johannesburg, fosters transnational collaboration, solidarity, and support for a growing network of women leaders from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
   

5. Narrative Shaping: Changing the norms that make online hate acceptable is critical. Public campaigns can help to build cultures where violence is unequivocally unacceptable, especially against our leaders.
   

6. Community Engagement: Grassroots initiatives like the Elves project mobilize local communities to identify, counter, and prevent online violence targeting women in politics. Our partnership with CIVIX Colombia is a critical step to support these engagements.
   

7. Legislative and Institutional Standards: Robust legal protections and institutional policies are essential. These laws enforce platform accountability, expand workplace safety regulations to political environments, and offer security provisions for politicians and their families. Critical research by the Strategic Advocacy for Human Rights (SAHR) is the foundation for our new global repository of enforceable solutions and laws from around the world.

Strengthening Legal Protections: The Global Repository

Culminating these efforts, the Better Politics Foundation and SAHR launched a new Global Repository of Laws countering online violence against women in politics.

This comprehensive resource compiles enforceable legal frameworks, institutional policies, and innovative protections from around the world. The repository offers policymakers, politicians, political parties, and advocates a curated mapping of laws, enforceable standards, and legal frameworks that can help implement and fulfill digital safety.

The fight against online gender-based violence in politics is daunting but not insurmountable. With growing global momentum, from the Solidarity Alliance and G20 commitments, to worldwide activist initiatives during the 16 Days campaign, we invite all stakeholders to use this repository to build safer, more inclusive political spaces.

Together, we can reclaim democratic participation for women leaders worldwide and ensure politics is a space free of fear, online and offline.