The missing link: Cybersecurity and technology-facilitated gender-based violence in the Women, Peace and Security agenda - Association for Progressive Communications

A framework for developing gender-responsive cybersecurity policy APC policy explainer: What is a gender approach to cybersecurity? Why Gender Matters in International Cyber Security Bridging the gap: Addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence in global AI governance Download English October 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which launched the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. This milestone offers a critical opportunity for the international community to reflect on the profound changes in the peace and security landscape over the past two decades, including the rapid development and expansion of technology. When the WPS agenda was first adopted in 2000, the digital revolution was still in its early stages. Today, technology and digital spaces are deeply embedded in both our personal lives and in the practices of conflict and peace. Extensive research has explored how technology can advance the goals of the WPS agenda, creating unprecedented opportunities for the participation, empowerment and peacebuilding efforts, of women and gender-diverse people. Yet, alongside these opportunities, the rapid spread of digital tools has also created new avenues for violence and marginalisation, presenting new obstacles to the WPS agenda. Despite increasing calls from activists and an expanding body of research documenting the intersections of WPS, cybersecurity and technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), these issues remain insufficiently integrated into mainstream WPS analysis and implementation. This gap is not merely an oversight, but a fundamental misalignment between the evolving nature of the security threats women and gender-diverse people face and the frameworks meant to address them. WPS national action plans (NAPs), in particular, have shown limited engagement with cybersecurity concerns. This report explores the intersections of WPS, cybersecurity and TFGBV through both analytical and practical lenses. It first reviews existing research, then assesses how WPS NAPs address, or fail to address, emerging digital challenges. From this analysis, it identifies opportunities to strengthen policy coherence and improve implementation. The report concludes with concrete recommendations for WPS actors, digital rights advocates and private sector stakeholders to bridge these gaps and advance a more inclusive, effective response to contemporary security challenges. Read the full report here.  Further information A framework for developing gender-responsive cybersecurity policy APC policy explainer: What is a gender approach to cybersecurity? Why Gender Matters in International Cyber Security Bridging the gap: Addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence in global AI governance Tags cybersecurity tfgbv gender-based violence women's human rights Topics Human rights and ICTs Security and privacy Regions Global Areas of work Human rights