MEPs Walsh & Meleti call for action, not sympathy

WHAT would you do if your face appeared in a video you never filmed? Or if a stranger online, out of the blue, knew your home address, your workplace, even the time your child finishes classes?

- BY ELEONORA MELETI MEP AND MARIA WALSH MEP

For millions of women and girls, these aren't just chilling “what ifs" - they're real.

What started as a space for connection and opportunity has, for too many, become a place of unwanted exposure and fear. The internet reflects our societies - and sometimes it shockingly magnifies their darkest sides.

As Europe marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women this week, let's not forget that this fight is no longer limited to homes, streets, or workplaces.

It now reaches deep into the digital world - a place that shapes how we live, work, and speak, but too often leaves women unprotected.

Online abuse is not that rare anymore. Studies show around half of women have experienced some form of digital violence, ranging from stalking and harassment to the sharing of intimate images without consent.

Each statistic hides a story. A teenager driven out of school. A journalist who stops writing. A mother who deletes her social media just to feel safe again. Violence through a screen still hurts, still isolates, still leaves scars.

It's hard to take it anymore. We want action, not sympathy. We want our daughters to be as safe online as they should be on the street.