Social Media and New Threats to Female Human Rights Defenders

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Threats against female human rights defenders are no longer limited to physical intimidation or direct pressure on the ground. In the digital age, attacks increasingly occur on social media, ranging from cyberbullying, doxing, spreading misogynistic narratives, to criminalisation under the Electronic Information and Transactions Act (UU ITE).

The National Commission on Violence Against Women states that the digital space has become a new medium extending various forms of violence against female human rights defenders. Between 2021 and 2025, the commission received 25 reports of violence against female human rights defenders, with psychological violence present in all cases. Fifteen of these cases involved online gender-based violence (KBGO).

Commissioner Yuni Asriyanti explained that these patterns of violence are layered with other forms. ‘This is a worrying trend as digital attacks serve as an instrument to prolong physical assaults. UU ITE is used as a weapon for retaliatory criminalisation in over half the cases, acting as a tool for silencing or creating a chill effect,’ she told Kompas.com last week.

The commission noted that perpetrators in these cases are predominantly law enforcement officials, military personnel, and government officials. This phenomenon shows that threats against female human rights defenders are evolving; while previously associated with physical violence or direct intimidation, pressure now occurs massively in the digital space, which is difficult to control. ‘In all cases, psychological violence dominates (100 per cent), with criminalisation being the most frequently used silencing instrument,’ Yuni added.