Every Fourth Person in Serbia Has Experienced Digital Violence

Every fourth person in Serbia has encountered some form of digital violence. Among women, the figure rises to nearly 30 per cent. Yet only three per cent of victims report these experiences to institutions - a gap that points to a problem that is systemic rather than incidental.

This reality shaped the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, led by UN Women in partnership with the Embassies of Canada and Switzerland. The focus was on digital and technology-facilitated violence, from harassment and threats to digital control and the non-consensual sharing of intimate content. The message was unequivocal: violence does not stop online.

Opening the campaign’s flagship event, Minister without Portfolio in charge of Gender Equality Tatjana Macura said that amendments to Serbia’s Criminal Code are expected to more clearly regulate the misuse of photo and video material without a victim’s knowledge or consent, commonly referred to as revenge pornography. She stressed, however, that legislation alone will not bring lasting change without strong preventive action.

The global dimension of the issue was underscored by H.E. Michelle Cameron, Ambassador of Canada, who noted that harassment, threats and the publication of intimate content without consent have been enabled by modern technology. She emphasized that the United Nations and the international community are committed to standing in the way of digital violence.

The debate was grounded in new national research on digital violence against women, conducted by the organization ATINA with the support of UN Women. The findings reveal not only how widespread the problem is, but also how deeply ingrained victim-blaming attitudes remain. As many as 84 per cent of respondents believe that women are at least partly responsible for the digital violence they experience, while only seven per cent say unequivocally that the victim is never to blame. Perpetrators are most often men, frequently current or former partners, and online abuse often mirrors and escalates violence offline. 

“Digital violence is real violence, with serious consequences for women’s safety, dignity and full participation in public life,” said H.E. Anne Lugon-Moulin, Ambassador of Switzerland, warning against dismissing online abuse as a private or secondary issue.

Plamena Halacheva, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, pointed out that digital and technology-facilitated violence disproportionately affects women in public life, as well as young women and girls. She reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to combating online violence, strengthening accountability and promoting safer digital spaces.

Jelena Sekulić Nedeljković of UN Women Serbia highlighted the need for a collective response, stressing that violence does not end when it moves online. Responsibility, she said, lies not only with individuals, but with institutions, digital platforms and society.

A performative intervention featuring “digital shadows” - silent figures distributing messages resembling everyday online comments directed at women - left a strong impression on participants. Without theatrics, the intervention captured how digital violence operates in practice: persistent, intrusive and often normalized.

The 16 Days of Activism campaign opened a broader conversation about accountability. Digital violence is not a by-product of technology, but a reflection of tolerance toward misogyny and inequality. And as the data makes clear, silence continues to work in its favor.