In the Words of Eun Mee Kim: “Let us proactively build a future where technology uplifts, protects and empowers”

Eun Mee Kim is a respected sociologist and seventeenth President of the Ewha Womans University in the Republic of Korea who has spearheaded policy-oriented research on development cooperation. As UN Women National Goodwill Ambassador, she recently delivered a compelling keynote speech at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Women and the Economy Forum Side Event on Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence (TFGBV) hosted by UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Centre in Seoul.

Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping how we live, work, learn and lead. However, we are also witnessing the rapid proliferation of new forms of violence in digital spaces that replicate, amplify and automate gender-based violence on an alarming scale.

TFGBV has become one of the fastest-growing human rights violations of our time. It encompasses a wide range of abuses: online harassment, cyberstalking, image-based sexual abuse, doxxing, non-consensual deepfake pornography, hate speech and large-scale misogynistic campaigns. According to UN Women’s global findings, 85 per cent of women worldwide have either witnessed or experienced digital violence.

AI-driven tools are increasingly misused to create deepfake sexual images, automate harassment and amplify harmful content through biased algorithms. The weaponization of AI has enabled more sophisticated, scalable and persistent forms of online abuse that cross borders in an instant and evade conventional detection systems.

In the APEC region, recent studies reveal that nearly 60 per cent of women in Australia have experienced some form of online harassment; in the Philippines, over 70 per cent of young women have been exposed to abusive comments or threats on social media platforms; and in Malaysia, 40 per cent of women report receiving unsolicited sexually-explicit images or messages online.

In the Republic of Korea, the notorious “Nth Room” case exposed a criminal network that exploited women and girls through encrypted apps and AI-enhanced image manipulation. Public outrage against the case catalysed critical legislative reforms in 2020 and 2021, including stronger laws against digital sex crimes, and enhanced survivor protection.

However, digital technological manipulations and crimes are much more difficult than traditional crimes for policies, regulations and responses to detect and prosecute. We are dealing with a crime that is qualitatively different from anything we have seen before. Therefore, it is imperative that we work together to understand the enormity and urgency of the problem, and most importantly, to help find solutions everywhere and for everyone.

I would like to propose three priority actions in this regard:

First, we must urgently strengthen and modernize legal and policy frameworks. Many jurisdictions still lack clear definitions of TFGBV, let alone legislation that addresses AI-generated abuse or facilitates cross-border cooperation on digital crimes.

Second, prevention and empowerment must be at the heart of our efforts. Public awareness campaigns, AI literacy initiatives for girls and women, and programmes engaging men and boys in transforming harmful online cultures are indispensable. Equally important is investing in opportunities for women to lead in technology and AI sectors, ensuring that those most affected by digital harms are empowered to help shape the solutions.

Third, we must forge serious and sustained collaboration with the technology sector – and AI developers – to tackle TFGBV by building AI systems that detect, prevent and respond to online violence. From enhancing content-moderation algorithms to deploying survivor-centred AI tools that track and remove harmful content, the private sector’s role is pivotal.

Let us proactively build a future where technology uplifts, protects and empowers. A future where every woman and girl can participate safely and equally in every aspect of life, both offline and online.”