Published March 2021

Gender-based cyber violence is a phenomenon that was inconceivable 30 years ago. More and more women and girls are experiencing harassment, stalking and other kinds of threats while online. With the ever-growing use of social media, the threats women and girls experience online have an effect on how they use the internet. Although there are many examples of women, female politicians and female journalists experiencing cyber violence and even going to court owing to harassment or other forms of cyber violence, not a lot of data or evidence has been gathered on the phenomenon. Meanwhile, the EU Member States react and act differently when dealing with the topic. It is known that gender-based cyber violence does not necessarily happen in isolation but that in many cases there is a connection with gender-based violence face-to-face; online and off-line violence is in many cases connected and/or intertwined. The coronavirus pandemic has potentially worsened the situation as people's social lives have shifted online.

Having identified a wide range of gaps in existing EU actions and legislation and the negative impacts on woman and girls individually, socially and economically on account of gender-based cyber violence, this paper supports the need to act and/or intervene at EU level. Whether on the lack of harmonised legal definitions, the lack of awareness-raising and under-reporting or the need for more research and data, greater momentum would be achieved by EU action, not least since this is also a cross-border issue.

Beginning with a discussion on the definition of gender-based cyber violence, this assessment also considers the prevalence, and the legal, individual, social and economic impacts of gender-based cyber violence, and examines the regulatory framework at EU and national levels. To this end 12 EU Member States were analysed in greater depth. Having explored the legal base, and identified the weakness and gaps in the existing EU legal system, the paper suggests policy responses the EU could take. The assessment then discusses the qualitative and quantitative impacts, including economic estimates of the impacts of the policy options identified. External experts were commissioned to conduct additional analysis and contribute to a study and a paper; these are both annexed to this paper. (From the Executive summary). Record #7241