Mexico Faces Rising Digital Violence Against Women and Girls

On Nov. 25 (25N), the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, organizations highlight that digital abuse in Mexico is rising, from deepfake pornography and online harassment to political attacks. Recent cases affecting hundreds of students highlight the urgent need for stronger legal, technical, and organizational responses.

The Unicef Mexico campaign for 2025, “ÚNETE to End Violence Against Women and Girls,” has focused on digital violence, a form of abuse that has expanded rapidly with the increasing use of the internet and social media. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 10.6 million women in Mexico, roughly 22% of internet users, have experienced digital harassment, a phenomenon that disproportionately affects young women and those with public profiles.

At least 400 students at Zacatecas Technical High School Number 1 reported that their images had been manipulated into pornographic content using AI, according to El País. The state prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into sexual privacy violations after parents demanded accountability. Authorities identified a 14-year-old student and two accomplices as responsible for creating and distributing the altered images via cloud storage and social media.

Similar cases illustrate a broader trend. In 2023, a university student at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional, was found with hundreds of thousands of manipulated images and videos of female peers. After a lengthy legal process, he was sentenced to five years in prison for storing child pornography. Such incidents highlight both the evolving use of technology to facilitate abuse and the challenges investigators face in digital environments.

Digital violence takes many forms, including:

• Cyberbullying: Online harassment, including repeated negative messages targeting women in professional, educational, or political contexts.
   

• Sextortion: Sharing sexual content without consent to intimidate or control victims.
   

• Stalking: Monitoring and harassing women on social media, often escalating to threats or exposure of private information.
   

• Body shaming: Public criticism of appearance, which may reinforce gendered stereotypes or delegitimize professional achievements.
   

• Doxing: Publishing private data, such as addresses or financial information, to harm reputations.
   

• Political harassment: Targeting women officeholders or candidates with derogatory messaging or gendered stereotypes, often amplified through platforms like the manosphere or incel communities.
   

These behaviors have tangible consequences for the safety, participation, and mental health of women, including withdrawal from online spaces and activism. Amnistía Internacional indicates that 85% of women have witnessed online violence, and 38% have been directly targeted. Many girls experience their first incidents between ages 14 and 16.

International, Regional, and Local Responses

The United Nations has increasingly recognized digital violence as a global issue. During its 67th Commission on the Status of Women session in 2023, the organization expressed concern over the scope of online abuse. The UN General Assembly’s 2024 resolution on violence against women and the Convention on Cybercrime, also adopted in 2024 under UNODC leadership, aim to establish international standards for fighting online abuse. UNESCO’s 2021 Recommendation on AI Ethics emphasizes eliminating gender biases in algorithms, preventing discrimination, and promoting women’s participation in technology.

At a regional level, the Tlatelolco Commitment, endorsed by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) in August 2025, aims to accelerate gender equality and establish a decade of action (2025–2035) to eliminate gender-based violence, including digital harassment. The agreement calls for comprehensive, multi-sectoral policies, strengthened justice systems, and support for feminist organizations and defenders.

In Mexico, UN agencies including UN Women and UNDP support the government in creating a National Roadmap for the Prevention and Response to Digital Violence. The roadmap draws on participatory processes with survivors, feminist organizations, technology experts, and public officials. UNDP promotes technological and data-driven solutions to monitor and prevent abuse, emphasizing human rights and gender equality.

Despite legal reforms and growing attention, investigative capacity remains insufficient. Unlike physical evidence, digital indicators — images, videos, and metadata — are volatile, easily altered, and often distributed across borders, says La Cadera de Eva. INTERPOL guidelines stress the importance of preserving authenticity, integrity, and reliability, with trained personnel managing chain-of-custody procedures to ensure admissibility in court.

Digital harassment extends into political contexts. Female candidates and officeholders face targeted attacks intended to undermine credibility and participation. Behaviors include online defamation, spreading false information, and sharing private or sexualized content without consent. Political harassment often relies on gender stereotypes to discredit female professionals, reinforcing systemic inequalities.

The National Electoral Institute (INE) provides mechanisms to report violence in digital and media spaces, including online harassment and political attacks. Victims can submit complaints in person, via email, or by phone, with protections for sensitive personal information.

Complementary Tools: Data-Driven Prevention

Organizations are increasingly adopting data-driven approaches to prevent harassment. Marlene Molero, Co-Founder and CEO, ELSA, a Latin American SaaS platform, says that traditional reporting systems are reactive and often fail to stop harassment. “Every large organization has an ethics hotline or some sort of reporting channel, but those only respond once something has already happened. They do not prevent it,” she says.

ELSA uses anonymous diagnostics and interactive dashboards to identify harassment patterns and assess organizational culture. In Latin America, implementation of the platform has reduced sexual harassment by up to 60% in some companies, says Molero. By measuring awareness of policies, leadership attitudes, and bystander behavior, organizations gain actionable insights to prevent abuse and reinforce zero-tolerance cultures, she adds.

AI has expanded the capabilities, and risks, of digital violence. AI-generated deepfakes, image manipulation, and automated harassment tools have made abuse easier to execute and harder to trace. Experts highlight the need for legal updates, digital literacy, and preventive measures alongside investigative improvements. Tools like ELSA demonstrate how AI can also support prevention by analyzing risk patterns and guiding organizational responses.

Moving Forward

Preventing digital violence requires coordinated action across legal, technical, and cultural domains. Evidence shows that punitive measures alone are insufficient. Strengthening investigative capacity, promoting digital literacy with a gender perspective, and supporting advocacy networks are crucial.

This International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women authorities anticipate nationwide protests drawing attention to both traditional and digital forms of abuse. The Zacatecas case, alongside rising reports of online harassment, underscores a broader societal challenge: ensuring that women and girls can safely participate in public, political, and digital spaces. Success depends not only on laws but on the ability of institutions to transform digital evidence into actionable justice, protect victims, and deter future violations.