In a world where the use of Artificial Intelligence and technological devices is growing at an impressively fast pace also in the world of work, we recognise that beyond the many benefits they produce, these technologies can be used also as harmful tools, able to intensify violence and harassment, including GBVH, through digital systems.
Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) is a continuation of existing unequal gender norms being reproduced in digital spaces. Addressed with differente language by many UN Agencies, TFGBV is finally defined as “any act that is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by the use of information communication technologies or other digital tools, that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or other infringements of rights and freedoms”, thanks to the efforts of UN Women to come to a shared definition of this form of violence. (https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Expert-Group-Meeting-report-Technology-facilitated-violence-against-women-en.pdf).
TFGBV encompasses a wide variety of actions and behaviours, enabled by both hardware and software, and sustained by harmful social and gender norms. According to UNFPA, it can have devastating effects on the lives of survivors, including on their mental and emotional health and their social well-being. TFGBV also has a detrimental impact on meaningful participation of the victims in society and economic life, with a silencing effect which transforms TFGBV in one of the major barriers to achieving gender equality.
Even though TFGBV is well defined and increasingly recognised, the studies conducted by the Brave-WOW project team show that:
- there are only limited statistics, indicating that TFGBV in work environments is increasing, with women being disproportionately impacted;
- the lack of standardised TFGBV indicators across EU Member States hampers country-by-country comparisons and comprehensive prevalence assessments;
- the regulatory landscape regarding TFGBV at the European level remains critically fragmented, relying primarily on interpretive extensions of existing frameworks rather than on comprehensive, purpose-built legislation. Even the EU AI Act does not address these shortcomings and doesn’t fill the gaps because it does not recognise gender as a protected individual characteristic.
In Italy, the growing attention to GBVH, which has already resulted in the provision of specific prevention obligations for employers with Legislative Decree 159/2025, has led the Chamber of Deputies, in its session no. 606 of 2nd February 2026, to discuss a motion concerning initiatives to combat digital gender violence, recognised as a fast increasing phenomenon that particularly affects women and girls through the use of digital technologies.
The motion stems from the awareness that TFGBVH is more and more frequently taking place through digital media, online and on social networks. Alongside traditional forms of physical and psychological violence, practices such as the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images (revenge porn), online harassment and stalking, hate campaigns on social networks, and the creation of digital environments that normalize sexist and misogynistic behaviors have become widespread.
The motion highlights the critical effects of TFGBVH on victims, from the violation of personal dignity to impaired self-determination and serious psychological damage; it also pays particular attention to the use of artificial intelligence in the production of manipulated content and notes that current measures are not yet efficient in fighting TFGBV nor in protecting the victims, especially when it comes to the removal of illegal contents published digitally.
Within the framework of new European legislation (the Digital Services Act, the AI Act, and Directive (EU) 2024/1385), the Chamber of Deputies’ motion commits the Italian Government to evaluate the effectiveness of existing laws, update the national legislation as appropriate, and strengthen the victim’s protection by improving access to justice, reinforcing prevention and early intervention measures, facilitating coordination between competent authorities, and investing in training, education, and digital literacy, particularly in schools and universities.