In the UK, the internet has shifted from being a platform of connection to a space of escalating danger; especially for women and children. Once praised for its democratic reach, the digital world has become a hub for exploitation, harassment, and abuse. Experts now warn that online grooming has reached the level of a digital pandemic.
A 2023 study by The Open University found that more than 10% of women in England have faced online violence. Among women aged 16–24, that figure climbs to 25%, and to 35% among LGB+ women. Alarmingly, over 13% of these incidents escalated to offline violence.
This crisis is even more pronounced among women from minority ethnic communities, including South Asian women, who are often targeted with culturally specific forms of abuse. Research has shown that women from these backgrounds are twice as likely to believe that the risks of being online outweigh the benefits.
According to the 2021 Census, South Asians make up nearly 9% of the UK population, with British Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis forming the largest ethnic minority group. South Asian women and girls often face a double burden of racism and misogyny online, including Islamophobic abuse, caste-based slurs, and shaming rooted in cultural taboos around modesty, relationships, and honour.
Even more disturbing is the rise of “com networks” — online gangs of teenage boys who target girls for blackmail, sexual coercion, and self-harm. The National Crime Agency (NCA) reports a sixfold increase in these networks from 2022 to 2024, often involving children as young as 13. In 2024, the Internet Watch Foundation confirmed sextortion cases involving girls aged just 11–13.
These gangs thrive in a toxic online culture, fuelled by extremist content and misogynistic influencers. South Asian girls, who may already face cultural restrictions on digital freedom, are often less likely to report abuse due to fears of stigma, family backlash, or community shame.
Online dating and sexual violence
The risk extends into adulthood. Between 2009 and 2014, the UK saw a 450% increase in rape cases linked to online dating, jumping from 33 to 184 incidents. The true numbers are believed to be far higher, especially among women from communities where talking about relationships or sexual violence is taboo.
In 2024, the Revenge Porn Helpline recorded 22,275 reports of intimate image abuse — the highest ever. Women are 28 times more likely than men to have their explicit images shared online. Of these, nearly a quarter involved sextortion.
Yet, law enforcement continues to fall short. Of 457 recorded cases involving such abuse, 363 involved negative interactions with police, with women bearing the brunt. South Asian victims often find it especially hard to come forward due to language barriers, mistrust of institutions, and a fear of dishonour within tightly-knit communities.
Maddie Waktare, External Affairs Manager, Victim Support in a statement to Asian Voice, had the following to say on the matter: “Sadly, violence and abuse towards women and girls is widespread in society and, nowadays, a large proportion of this happens online. It can include online stalking, harassment and intimate image abuse, as well as domestic abusers increasingly making use of technology and online platforms.
“These types of online abuse can have a very real and damaging impact. It’s vital they are taken seriously and not dismissed as less harmful than other forms of gender based violence. If you have been the victim of online abuse, you are not to blame and free, confidential support is available, regardless of whether you have reported to police or not.”
Commenting on the matter, a NPCC spokesperson also said, "The scale of online sexual abuse against both women and children is frightening and continuing to rise.
“Social media platforms provide offenders with more opportunity and access to sexually exploit victims, which is why technology companies must do more to make their platforms safe for everyone and particularly children.
“Policing continues to work proactively to pursue offenders, including through our specialist undercover units, who disrupt child abusers online every day. We will also continue to work closely with the National Crime Agency, government and industry to harness technology which will help us to fight online sexual abuse and exploitation.
“We would urge anyone who has been a victim of online sexual abuse to report it to police – you will be taken seriously and there is support to help you.”
Despite existing legislation and stated platform commitments, the reality is that online spaces remain fundamentally unsafe for women and girls. Grooming is no longer confined to isolated dark web forums; it is happening in plain sight — on mainstream platforms, in chat apps, and even on dating sites.
Ofcom’s push for safer platforms
In response, Ofcom has issued draft guidance under the Online Safety Act, aiming to hold tech platforms accountable and design safety into their systems from the outset.
The guidance emphasises the intersectionality of harm particularly affecting women of colour, including South Asians. It urges companies to integrate inclusive risk assessments, retrain content moderation algorithms with diverse datasets, and consider culturally specific abuse in their safety frameworks.
Children, a key focus for Ofcom, will benefit from new rules protecting them from pornography, eating disorder content, suicide material, and misogynistic hate speech. Age checks and clearer reporting tools are also required.
To ensure transparency, Ofcom will publish a public report 18 months after guidance is finalised, highlighting how companies are responding, or failing, to protect women and girls.
Companies that fall short could face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of global turnover. The message is clear: safety is no longer optional.
