July 1, 2026
May Allam

Digital Violence is an escalating global phenomenon, with easy access individuals of all ages have to social media and technology. The online space available for people to seek knowledge – or even for entertainment – has slowly transformed from a traditional safe space for expression to a means of violence and abuse targeting random unknown or well-known people. The appeal of being anonymous online caters to the ego of perpetrators, causing them to harass others as a means of appeasement to their misogynistic inclinations, psychological problems, childhood trauma or many other causes that lead them to seek revenge from others they know or do not know online.

It is well-known that the majority of digital violence comes from men or boys of different ages, targeting women and girls. However, women can also indulge in digital violence against other women or against men as well. According to UNFPA, threats in the form of exposure (of texts and/or photos), sharing pictures without permission, stalking women and pinning their addresses to physically stalk them, cyberstalking, hate speech, cyberbullying, online sexual harassment, hate speech and using online technology to identify and locate survivors of abuse to further inflict violence on them are just some means of digital violence.

In a study done by UN Women in 2013, 96.3% of Egyptian women were found to have been victims of sexual harassment, marking Egypt as having the highest rate of abuse and violence against women in the world. As a result, Egypt needs not only a series of initiatives, campaigns, feminist movements and coalitions to advocate for the eradication of digital violence but it needs solid action to be taken on behalf of the government to stop such violence and punish its perpetrators. Unfortunately, Egypt is a culture that has deeply rooted patriarchal and gendered ideologies and the habits that support gender inequality, marginalization, harassment of women and misogynist practices. As a result, even though local laws in Egypt regarding digital violence exist, they are not strictly enforced due to weak executive measures and the culture of shame prevailing and preventing women/girls from exposing their perpetrations.

Digital violence has been found to have profound psychological and physical impact on the victims of harassment. Digital violence is persistent and without borders and can allow for abuse to be shared, repeated, revisited and stored – eventually leading to severe anxiety and distress for victims of such abuse. Coping mechanisms from traditional families in restrictive cultures, such as Egypt for instance, against digital violence could lead to severe restrictions on girls and women from accessing online sources or even restrictions on their personal mobility outside their homes. This stems from fear that they may be tracked and physically attacked by their online stalkers. The result of such action is frustration and withdrawal of these girls or women, eventually affecting the mental state and social participation of these victims – rather than searching for ways to punish perpetrators of online crimes. 

There are several legislations, resolutions, conventions, committees, organizations and institutions related to human rights that have addressed the issue of digital violence and necessary legal and criminal responses to it. In Egypt, before 2018, the Anti-Cybercrime law was approved and came into effect, but it was extremely difficult to prosecute crimes on digital platforms. The Anti-Cybercrime Law (Law No. 175 of 2018) is clear on punishment regarding digital violence but judicial and executive execution of punishment is difficult because there is not clear definition of digital violence in Egypt. Podcasts, Instagram and Facebook pages and other online platforms have contributed to spreading awareness of the dangers of digital violence in media outlets. NGOs and institutions in Egypt, funded by local and global efforts, have also stepped in to prompt the state into allowing spaces to treat psychologically impacted women suffering from physical and digital violence and abuse. They target socio-cultural challenges and the culture of shame of speaking out that these women and girls face in Egypt and provide them with a safe space to discuss their experiences and vent their anger towards it. 

To deal with digital violence in countries like Egypt, it is necessary to strengthen existing legislation and develop a clear legal framework that specifically identifies digital violence. Law enforcement and judicial training in cyber units must be implemented to realize the extent of digital abuse and punish the perpetrators accordingly.  Laws should be amended to ensure further punishment for perpetrators of any form of violence, physical or digital, to instill fear and caution for those engaging in abuse, violence and harassment of others – thereby allowing a safe space as well as restoring order and peace in societies.