As the world marks World Press Freedom Day, UN Women has warned of a troubling rise in digital attacks against women journalists, revealing that incidents of online violence have doubled since 2020.
The agency disclosed that the growing wave of abuse is taking a significant psychological toll, with nearly one in four victims reporting anxiety and depression linked to their experiences online.
The findings are contained in a new report titled “Tipping Point: Online Violence, Impacts, Manifestations and Redress in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Age,” produced in partnership with TheNerve and other collaborators. The report highlights how advances in artificial intelligence are being exploited to intensify harassment and reputational attacks against women in media and public life.
According to the study, 12 per cent of women journalists, human rights defenders, and media professionals surveyed said their personal or intimate images had been shared without consent. Another six per cent reported being victims of deepfake manipulation, while nearly one-third said they had received unsolicited sexual messages online.
Researchers noted that these attacks are often deliberate and coordinated, aimed at silencing women and weakening their professional standing. The impact has led to behavioural changes, with 41 per cent of respondents admitting to self-censorship on social media, and 19 per cent reducing their professional engagement.
UN Women official Kalliopi Mingerou cautioned that emerging technologies are amplifying the scale and severity of abuse.
“AI is making abuse easier and more damaging, fuelling the erosion of hard-won rights,” she said, stressing the urgency of stronger legal protections and institutional responses.
Meanwhile, Nigeria recorded a slight improvement in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders, moving up to 112th position out of 180 countries from 122nd in 2025.
