PINAY SA HOLLAND: UNITE TO END DIGITAL VIOLENCE AGAINST ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS!
PINAY SA HOLLAND GABRIELA JOINS THE GLOBAL CALL TO UNITE TO END DIGITAL VIOLENCE AGAINST ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS!
As Filipino communities increasingly live, work, and socialize online, the digital space has become a new frontier for violence to thrive. From cyberbullying and stalking, to image-based abuse, sextortion, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, technology-facilitated gender-based violence affects women and girls across our islands, with young people and minors among the most vulnerable.
Reports in recent years have shown alarming increases in online gender-based violence, particularly against girls under 18.
Non-consensual intimate image sharing is consistently the most prevalent form of abuse, often followed by threats, blackmail, and online sexual exploitation. Most perpetrators are not anonymous strangers - they are partners, former partners, friends, or acquaintances. Yet despite these realities, many cases go unreported because survivors encounter stigma, blame, fragmented legal pathways, or poorly equipped front-line responders.
We call on the Philippine government to strengthen enforcement of existing laws such as the Safe Spaces Act, the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act, RA 9262, and RA 11930, and to invest in accessible digital forensic capability, survivor-centered services, and gender-sensitive reporting systems.
We urge technology companies operating in the Philippines to take meaningful responsibility: rapidly remove harmful content, prevent exploitation, and cooperate with law enforcement. We appeal schools, families, and communities to promote digital literacy, consent, empathy, and safe reporting environments for young women and girls.
We stand in solidarity with every all survivors whose dignity has been harmed online.
Ending digital violence is not only about technology, it is about justice, accountability, and the human rights of every woman and girl in the Philippines and the world.