Nicosia conference on “Preventing and Combating Gender-Based Violence Online against Girls”, held within the framework of Cyprus EU Presidency clearly demonstrated the multidimensional and cross-cutting nature of the phenomenon of gender-based violence online, a press release issued on Wednesday by the Cyprus Presidency Secretariat, the Ministry of Justice and Public Order and the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality said.

The phenomenon includes cyberbullying, sexual harassment, non-consensual sharing of images, hate speech and violation of privacy through technology.

The European conference held on May 18-19 noted that, like all forms of gender-based violence, online violence disproportionately affects women and girls, compared to men and boys. It also became clear that the phenomenon extends beyond the digital space, demonstrating the strong link between digital and physical forms of violence against girls.

The panel discussions, which included senior government officials, senior policymakers, representatives of EU institutions, international organisations, experts, academics and civil society representatives, were organised around four thematic pillars and presented innovative and promising good policy practices at both the European and international levels.

The press release said that educational approaches were discussed, with a particular emphasis on the involvement of boys and young men in efforts to prevent and address the phenomenon. Emerging challenges and future trends were also examined, through the identification of new forms of cyberbullying and ongoing technological developments.

The support and protection of victims was approached through the search for new protection mechanisms, the improvement of existing ones, while inter-agency cooperation was also discussed. The fourth pillar focused on future actions, synergies and collaborations between institutions on a European scale, in close cooperation with the civil society.

A highlight of the Conference, which was organized by the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, was the presentation by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) of the recent research it carried out in collaboration with the Cyprus Presidency, named "From lived reality to policy action: Combating cyber violence against girls in the EU".

The research will also form the basis for the preparation of Council Conclusions on the same topic, which are expected to be adopted by the EPSCO Council of Ministers in June 2026, the press release noted.

Source: CNA(ΚΥΠΕ)