Online gender-based violence is on the rise. Here’s why democracy funders should care

It’s no secret that democracy funding is trending. In the U.S., nearly three-quarters of democracy donors report ramping up their giving this year. Across the Atlantic, the European Commission recently launched its first Europe-wide strategy to protect democracy, aiming to boost financial support for civic participation. And globally, while still reeling from the impacts of foreign aid cuts, funders are converging around a shared understanding that protecting democracy is necessary for progress on everything we care about, from climate justice to economic wellbeing.

Global attention to the need to step up for democracy creates an opportunity for funders to address a problem that has flown under the radar, but could hold back most democracy-building efforts if left unchecked: tech-facilitated gender-based violence. This encompasses any form of gender-based violence — whether physical, sexual or psychological — that uses tools like social media or AI to harm people in digital spaces or real life. And it is on the rise.