Game Developers Urged to Provide Tools to Prevent Sexual Violence

Denpasar (ANTARA) - The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has urged all game developers to provide in-game features or tools that can help prevent sexual violence online.

“Regulations are needed to set standards for platform providers and AI developers, requiring them to build safeguards and preventive systems, such as cybersecurity measures that can detect potential incidents and ensure they are dealt with promptly,” UNFPA Assistant Representative Verania Andria said at Bali Tech Week (BTW) 2026 in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday.

Verania said numerous cases now involved individuals exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) and other game features to target users and commit sexual violence, particularly against children and women using these platforms.

She said this showed that more needed to be done to raise awareness of violence both offline and online.

According to survey data she presented, around 20 per cent of sexual violence against girls and women aged 15 to 24 occurred online in 2024.

To prevent the figure from rising, developers could work with the government, which has already introduced regulations such as PP Tunas, intended to create a safe and comfortable digital environment for everyone, particularly children, she said.

“We very much want to urge platform providers and AI developers to understand that AI can be used to intensify sexual violence against women and girls, so they must also take responsibility for how they develop AI,” she said.

“Another necessary step, in our view, is recognising that violence must not be tolerated, whether in the real world or online,” she added.

UNFPA is a United Nations agency responsible for issues relating to sexual and reproductive health, population, and the empowerment of women and young people.

Its central mission is to create a world in which every pregnancy is planned, every birth is safe, and every young person can fulfil their potential.