With the end of the pandemic, cases of gender-based violence against women online have not decreased. “The data is not encouraging at all,” explains Annachiara Sarto, Director of CRO Cyber Rights Organization. “In fact, according to a recent study by Amnesty International, cases increased by 70% during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic. March 8 will also be another occasion to raise awareness of gender-based violence online.”

On the eve of International Women’s Day, from the offices of CRO Cyber Rights Organization, based in The Hague, there is still much concern about European actions to protect victims of online crime, especially women, who are still the most exposed to crimes such as non-consensual distribution of intimate material, sextortion and cyber bullying.

In this sense, the data of the European Council is frightening, which testifies to 47% of the number of women who have received threats of rape or physical harassment through social media. “According to the European Council’s survey, women are still the most affected,” says Silvia Semenzin, “68% of women are targeted by users who literally attack them digitally because of their physical appearance or biased gender stereotypes”.