This rapid review from the Knowledge, Evidence and Learning for Development programme examines the nature, prevalence and impact of online gender-based violence. It updates an earlier 2018 report with evidence published from 2018 onwards and covers a wider range of countries.

Recent surveys put the prevalence of online gender-based violence between 16 and 58 per cent. Men and boys also experience online abuse in high numbers, though it is less likely to be gender-based. Several country studies identify Facebook as the most common location for incidents, and people facing intersecting inequalities report higher levels of online harassment and abuse. Victim-survivors report that perpetrators are more often unknown and acting alone, although large numbers are known to them, while perpetrators themselves describe varied and overlapping motivations. The review finds that power and control, and heteronormative expectations about gender roles and sexual practice, run through the underlying drivers.