On 12 May, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) convened an Expert Group Meeting on addressing technology-facilitated sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) linked to terrorism. The meeting brought together experts from international organizations, civil society, academia, and think tanks at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to discuss more effective ways of tackling this rapidly evolving threat.
The meeting examined how terrorist and violent extremist actors increasingly exploit online platforms and digital tools to perpetrate SGBV, including human trafficking, sexual exploitation, online harassment, intimidation, and the spread of misogynistic narratives. Discussions highlighted how these harms manifest across a wide range of digital environments, including social media platforms, encrypted messaging applications, gaming ecosystems, and AI-enabled technologies. In his opening remarks, H.E. Ambassador Thomas Gürber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations in Geneva, noted that “discussions on counter-terrorism, digital governance, artificial intelligence, and gender-based violence take place separately. Yet the reality we face is profoundly interconnected. Our responses must therefore also become more integrated, multidisciplinary, and survivor-centred.”
Throughout the meeting, experts stressed that technology-facilitated SGBV should not be viewed solely as an online phenomenon disconnected from real-world harm. Participants highlighted that online harm frequently translates into offline consequences, including psychological trauma, economic exclusion, intimidation, reputational harm, and barriers to public participation and civic engagement.
Another key area of discussion focused on the need to ensure that responses are human rights-compliant and survivor-centred. The importance of “do no harm” principles, meaningful civil society engagement, and context-specific approaches across different regions, including in conflict and non-conflict settings, was also highlighted.
The EGM also explored significant legal, policy, and operational challenges faced by Member States and practitioners in addressing this phenomenon, including gaps in legislation, difficulties in preserving digital evidence, fragmented reporting and support systems, limited institutional awareness, and the rapid evolution of technologies such as generative artificial intelligence. Experts further discussed the need for stronger cooperation with technology companies and greater integration of “safety by design” and human rights considerations into the development of digital tools and platforms.
The meeting identified several priority areas for future action, including strengthening research and data collection, enhancing digital literacy and prevention initiatives, improving victim and survivor support mechanisms, and building the capacities of law enforcement and justice actors.
The meeting provided an important platform to advance dialogue on this emerging issue and to identify areas where further policy development, technical assistance, and international cooperation are needed to support Member States in responding to technology-facilitated SGBV linked to terrorism.