From Awareness to Action: Building Safer Digital Spaces for Women Roundtable by CSO Forum, Ipas and AdSEARCH

A roundtable titled “Ending Digital Violence: Policy Priorities for Advancing Health and Justice for Women and Girls” was held at The Daily Star Centre, Dhaka.  Jointly organised by CSO Forum for Strengthening Sustainable SRHR Ecosystem in Bangladesh and The Daily Star, with support from Ipas Bangladesh and Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AdSEARCH) by icddr,b, the dialogue convened policymakers, development practitioners, scientists, legal and health professionals, and civil society representatives.

The discussion focused on the rising risks women and girls face online and their mental, physical, and social impacts and strategies to way forward. Participants identified gaps in awareness, services, legal enforcement, and digital literacy, proposing practical, multi-sectoral strategies to enhance prevention, survivor support, and accountability in Bangladesh’s digital environment.

Digital spaces offer powerful opportunities to empower women and girls, yet they are increasingly marked by harassment, cyberbullying, and exploitation, disproportionately affecting young and marginalised women. The roundtable examined these challenges through three lenses: the health impacts of digital violence on adolescent girls and young women; the legal framework and justice pathways, including reporting barriers; and policy and advocacy priorities.

The discussion aimed to generate evidence-informed recommendations to guide policymakers, legal professionals, health practitioners, and civil society in preventing digital violence and building safer, more inclusive digital spaces for women and girls.

Recommendations:

• Strengthen cyber law enforcement with specialised units and digital forensics, ensuring survivor-centred safeguards, timely content removal, and digital platform accountability
• Establish a nationwide 24/7 helpline combining health, legal, psychosocial, and cybercrime support for survivors
• Mandate digital safety education in schools and expand digital literacy for parents and women to promote safe online behaviour and early risk detection
• Invest in mental health for gender-based violence via trained professi