On Tuesday, 25 November 2025, the headquarters of the Syrian Bar Association in Damascus hosted the official launch of the campaign “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The initiative aims to reinforce efforts to safeguard women’s rights and protect them from all forms of violence—physical, psychological, economic and, most urgently, digital.
In an exclusive statement to Sham Network, attorney Rehadah Abdoush announced that the Women’s Committee of the Syrian Bar Association, in coordination with the Committee on Rights and Freedoms, is leading a year-long national campaign under the banner “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls.” The campaign forms part of the wider global movement to combat gender-based violence.
Departing from the conventional sixteen-day awareness period, this Syrian campaign will span a full year. The Bar Association has issued an open invitation to all relevant stakeholders—including the Ministries of Communications, Information, Justice and Interior; university faculties and student unions; as well as human rights and women’s organisations—to collaborate in raising awareness and tackling the diverse manifestations of digital violence.
While inspired by the annual UN global campaign, the Syrian initiative places distinct emphasis on digital abuse. It pursues three main objectives: to increase public awareness; to provide comprehensive legal support for victims; and to strengthen national legislation—specifically the Cybercrime Law and the Personal Data Protection Law—so that women may be more effectively shielded from online harm.
The campaign’s scope includes women and girls of all ages, female lawyers, university students, journalists, official institutions and civil society organisations.
Digital violence has emerged as one of the most insidious and widespread forms of gender-based abuse in the modern age. Perpetrated via smartphones, the internet and social media platforms, it manifests in multiple ways: the non-consensual sharing of private images, online harassment and stalking, identity theft, the creation of fake accounts, the production and dissemination of degrading content, hate speech, and the intentional spread of disinformation targeting women.
In a message marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that violence against women and girls—already a global scourge—is worsening in the digital era. He called on the international community to criminalise digital violence unequivocally and to intensify support for women and girls worldwide.
The Syrian Bar Association’s campaign stands as a determined national response to that universal appeal, uniting legal expertise with broad societal engagement in defence of Syrian women’s dignity and safety in the digital sphere.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
