Gender-based violence facilitated by new technologies is expanding at a pace that is difficult to measure, yet its impact on the marginalization of women and girls is undeniably real. To raise awareness of this alarming phenomenon, the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) has launched a national campaign as part of UN Women's 16 Days of Activism. The National Human Rights Council (CNDH) held a conference in Rabat on Wednesday, November 26, to launch a national campaign against violence targeting women through digital means. The initiative aims to break the silence surrounding cyber-harassment, cyber-violence, and their consequences, which the Council condemns as a «silent pandemic». Under the theme «Let's not be silent in the face of violence», the campaign seeks to raise public awareness in Morocco as part of the international initiative «All United to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls». It aligns with UN Women's 16 Days of Activism from November 25 to December 10, 2025. While the rise of digital technologies and social networks has enabled greater connectivity, it has also intensified and diversified the forms of violence affecting women and girls. These acts now reveal harmful effects on human rights through ICTs, Information and Communication Technology, often extending far beyond digital spaces. The CNDH warns that cyber-harassment remains widely underestimated. Speaking at the conference, CNDH President Amina Bouayach emphasized that this national campaign is rooted in «direct proximity with citizens, with a caravan traveling to the twelve cities representing the twelve regions, over 16 days». As part of this approach, and to make the issue visible in public spaces, an interactive awareness installation has been set up in the heart of Mahaj Riad in Rabat. Open to the public, the exhibition includes introductory messages, digital prevention content, and simplified information materials. Its purpose is to counter the invisibility of cyber-violence by giving the issue a physical and symbolic presence. Amina Bouayach, President of the CNDH Underestimated and Unreported Cyber-Violence According to figures published by the High Commission for Planning (HCP) in 2019, nearly 1.5 million women in Morocco have been exposed to some form of online violence. The CNDH notes that women who are active online, especially those in public, media, political, or human-rights fields, are particularly targeted by «systematic digital attacks». These take the form of «defamation campaigns, threats, discrimination, harassment, and verbal, physical, and sexual violence», directly affecting their right to free expression and participation in public life. Speaking at the conference, High Commissioner for Planning Chakib Benmoussa recalled HCP's 2019 survey showing that 14% of women had experienced online violence in the previous 12 months. The risks are higher in urban areas (16%), among girls aged 15–19 (29%), women with higher education (25%), single women (30%), and students (36%). Perpetrators are often unknown men (73%), but can also include current or former partners, family members, colleagues, classmates, or friends (each around 4%). Since 2023, CNDH data shows a striking gap between the scale of the problem and the low rate of reporting. In its report on impunity, the Council notes that many journalists, media professionals, and activists «refrain from taking any reporting steps», with only 11% of journalists who are victims of digital violence reporting the incidents, and just 8% initiating legal action. Chakib Benmoussa - High Commissioner for Planning Establishing a Safe Digital Space Speaking at the conference, Myriem Ouchen Noussairi, UN Women's representative in Morocco, said that addressing the silence surrounding these abuses requires rethinking the digital spaces where they occur. «Today, the ability of women to inform themselves, express themselves, undertake and occupy public space also depends on their online security», she stressed. She noted that this issue increasingly affects teenagers, as well as «women visible in public spaces, journalists, activists, content creators, elected officials». Online attacks, she warned, can lead to self-censorship, withdrawal from public life, and even physical danger, in addition to economic harm. Across the Arab region, six out of ten women (60%) who use the Internet experience some form of online harassment or technology-facilitated violence. According to the CNDH, the most frequent forms include defamation and dissemination of false or offensive content (67%), electronic harassment (66%), hate speech (65%), cyberbullying, blackmail, and online human trafficking. The Council also warns of «the growing use of deepfake techniques», which rely on AI to produce manipulated or pornographic content. Nearly 95% of such content is distributed without consent, and about 99% targets women and girls. These practices have led to «numerous cases of suicide in several countries, particularly in North Africa and the Middle East», prompting many states to adopt specific legislation criminalizing pornographic deepfakes. Myriem Ouchen Noussairi, UN Women Representative in Morocco Commenting on these realities, Ouchen Noussairi said, «The figures remind us that behind every data point, there is a woman who remains silent, a girl who gives up, and a society that loses a voice», She concluded: «Every space should be a space of safety, dignity, and equality for all women and girls, including online. This principle should guide our collective action today». In this context, the CNDH is calling for stronger accountability from major digital platforms and the creation of tools that encourage women and girls to report abuse and break the silence surrounding cyber-violence.
