Digital Violence: A Matter of Life and Death for Libyan Women
Digital violence against women and girls in Libya is no longer a fringe issue; it is a systemic, escalating threat that weaponizes technology to facilitate severe real-world human rights violations.
Published by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Libyan Anti-torture Network (LAN) during the 16 Days of Activism, this briefing paper exposes how online abuse—from cyberstalking to targeted defamation—is used by state and non-state actors in Libya to enforce patriarchal control, silence activists, and justify physical harm. The failure of authorities to provide adequate legal protection has turned the digital space into a critical security liability.
Key Findings and Consequences:
- Escalation to Torture: Digital threats routinely escalate into physical violence, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearances. LAN evidence confirms that female survivors, who were subjected to torture while in detention, have faced catastrophic social consequences, including forced divorce, loss of child custody, and total abandonment of their professional and public lives.
- Weaponized Law: The Anti-Cybercrime Law (No. 5 of 2022) is actively used against victims to restrict their freedom of expression under vague accusations of "violating public morals," instead of punishing perpetrators.
- Institutional Failure: Despite limited new reporting mechanisms, significant data gaps remain due to social stigma and lack of public trust. The paper highlights a case where the Public Prosecution's handling of sensitive data led directly to a victim's kidnapping, illustrating profound institutional betrayal.
- Tech Company Negligence: Major social media platforms demonstrate key failures in Arabic content moderation and lack specialized protocols to protect high-risk users, effectively allowing impunity to flourish.
Urgent Call to Action
The right to safe space—digital and physical—must be guaranteed. This paper issues urgent demands to the Libyan authorities, including the amendment of the Cybercrime Law, the ratification of comprehensive GBV legislation, and the strengthening of victim-centered reporting channels. It also calls on tech companies to implement international human rights due diligence to stop facilitating violence in the region.
Read the full briefing paper to understand the scale of the crisis and join the urgent mobilization to reclaim safe space for women in Libya.
