As online spaces have become increasingly central to our modern lives, technology has amplified existing types of abuse, while also facilitating new kinds of violence against women and girls (VAWG) entirely.

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Earlier this year, X made headlines amid a serious deepfake intimate image abuse scandal involving its AI chatbot, and more recently investigations have exposed online communities dedicated to encouraging and enabling the perpetration of abuse including sexual violence. These are just two examples of a much broader trend. Namely, a significant rise in tech-facilitated abuse.

As the UK's largest domestic abuse charity, Refuge is at the forefront of responding to this growing threat. In January we warned of the risks posed by AI and wearable technology, while more recently we revealed a 78% rise in referrals to our sector-leading Tech-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment Team. Now, a joint research report from Refuge and the End Violence Against Women coalition (EVAW) provides new evidence of the nature, scale and impact of online VAWG.

Based on nationally representative polling of 2,000 women aged 16 and over in the UK, 'Dangerous by Design' exposes the extent to which harassment, abuse and exposure to misogynistic content have become embedded in women’s daily online experiences. As many as one in three women surveyed reported experiencing some form of online VAWG, rising to 47% among women aged 16-24.

This striking finding comes almost one year after Ofcom introduced guidance for tech companies on how to tackle VAWG online. While our sector welcomed this development, our report shows why........

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