By Kavya Thathsarani

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women may fall on 25th November, but its urgency doesn't belong to a single date. The reality is that violence, especially in its growing digital forms, remains a daily threat. Not a once-a-year conversation. That's why this year's theme, "UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls", still feels just as resonant now as it did on the 25th. Abuse has crept into the online world, and acknowledging that reality isn't bound to a moment is a responsibility that stretches far beyond one day.

How It All Began...

The roots of this day trace back to the Mirabal sisters: Patricia, Minerva, and María Teresa, known as "Las Mariposas" or, in English, "The Butterflies”. In the Dominican Republic, they dared challenge the brutal Trujillo regime, determined to fight for justice. On 25th November 1960, they were ambushed and killed, and their deaths were staged as a simple car crash. The outrage that followed transformed the three Mirabal sisters into symbols of resistance. In 1999, the United Nations officially dedicated this date to calling out violence against women. 

Violence Takes Many Forms, Including Digital

Violence against women isn't limited to physical or face-to-face abuse. According to UN Women, it shows up in many forms, such as: physical violence (hitting or assault), sexual assault (harassment or forced acts without consent), psychological violence (threats, manipulation, control, etc.), economic violence (restricting access to money or independence), and lastly, digital violence, which happens to be the main focus in 2025. This includes cyberstalking, image-based abuse, doxxing, hate speech, AI-manipulated deepfakes, targeted online harassment, and the list goes on. 
This is a problem that is very much alive today. While advancing technology and new AI regulations offer hope for better protections in the future, the digital threats to women, girls and marginalised groups remain serious and immediate.

Online spaces are no longer a refuge...for many women, they're the new frontlines of abuse. Reports from the UN highlight how anonymity and rapidly evolving technology make digital violence widespread yet repeatedly dismissed. 

Who Is Responsible?

This is not the responsibility of survivors alone, but a collective responsibility. The 2025 UNiTE campaign urges governments, technology companies, donors, and individuals to scale up their efforts. Above all, what is needed are stronger, clearer laws from governments. Tech companies must redesign platforms with safety at the centre. Funders should support organisations bridging gender equality and digital rights. Most importantly, communities, including men and boys, must speak out and actively support survivors. 

Digital violence is not "just online drama”. It has real-life impacts because it silences women, damages mental health while spreading fear, and can also escalate into offline harm. For this to change, we need updated laws that actually protect against digital abuse, schools must make online safety and consent part of mainstream education, and support systems like helplines and counselling services must be adapted to the realities of digital-era survivors.

Meanwhile in Sri Lanka…

The picture is alarming in Sri Lanka: according to UNFPA, nearly one in four women reported having experienced physical and/or sexual violence since age 15. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the problem given lockdowns, which have left many survivors isolated and without essential access to support.  According to the UNFPA-supported Women’s Wellbeing Survey 2019, conducted by Sri Lanka’s Department of Census and Statistics and cited by the World Health Organisation, 20.4% of ever-partnered women reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime. 

In addition, UN Women states, Sri Lanka’s online abuse disproportionately targets women, girls, LGBTQI+ communities and ethnic minorities, with almost one in three respondents experiencing technology-facilitated violence, where they face relentless harassment, identity exposure, sexual extortion and hate campaigns that spread with the speed of just a click. For many survivors, it doesn’t end on the screen...it forces them out of their communities, their education and their economic opportunities. 

These are not just statistics. They are warning signs, and they reflect what has only been reported. What about the countless women, girls, and marginalised individuals who stay silent out of fear? The ones too unsafe to seek help and too threatened to speak out?

This reality makes one thing clear. If we fail to act now, the next generation will inherit a digital world far more violent than the one we live in today. And every day we hesitate, another woman pays the price of our silence.

A Legacy That Still Inspires

The Mirabal sisters lost their lives in 1960, but their courage continues to fuel a global movement. Their story is a strong reminder that violence, in any form, is never acceptable. And in 2025, as our lives become more connected through social media, digital violence has become the newest battleground. 

Ending gender-based violence isn't a one-day task. It demands a steady commitment to a world, both online and offline, where women and girls are respected, their voices are heard, and they can live without fear.