Bhutan’s existing mechanisms to address online abuse need stronger coordination and clearer reporting channels as rapidly evolving technologies create new risks, according to a new assessment on technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
The Rapid Assessment of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, released by UNFPA and RENEW, highlights gaps in the country’s preparedness to deal with emerging forms of digital abuse, including deepfakes and artificial intelligence-generated sexual content.
While Bhutan already has laws and institutions dealing with cybercrime, gender-based violence and online safety, the assessment found that responsibilities are spread across different agencies. Victims may also struggle to understand where to report abuse and what procedures to follow.
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence refers to abuse targeting a person because of their gender that is carried out or intensified through digital technologies. It includes online harassment and cyberbullying, impersonation, blackmail and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
The assessment identifies women, children and members of the LGBTQ+ community as particularly vulnerable to such abuse.
RENEW officials say technology has increasingly featured in gender-based violence cases handled by the organisation.
Meenakshi Rai (PhD), Director, Programme and Service at RENEW, recalled a case involving a woman whose intimate video was accessed after a computer was taken to a repair shop.
“Technology has always been a part of the gender-based violence cases we receive. I remember a case from two or three years ago involving a woman who had recorded an intimate video while she was in a relationship. When the computer containing the video was sent for repair, the repair shop accessed and took the video, and it was later used to blackmail her,” she said.
According to Rai, the woman was subsequently blackmailed by her partner as well, causing severe distress and affecting her mental well-being.
She said weaknesses in the existing system can make it difficult to deal with such cases effectively and ensure accountability. Greater coordination between organisations would also help prevent survivors from having to approach multiple agencies separately for assistance.
“What we hope is that when a client comes to RENEW, we should be able to connect her with the other service providers without making her go from one agency to another. There needs to be stronger coordination among service providers,” Rai said.
Another significant concern identified in the assessment is the absence of systematic national data on technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The actual extent of the problem could be greater than available figures suggest, with fear, stigma and uncertainty surrounding reporting potentially discouraging victims from coming forward.
Andrea M. Wojnar, Country Director of UNFPA Bhutan, said establishing a clear evidence base is essential before developing a comprehensive national response.
“Before the country embarks on a major initiative to prevent and respond to tech-facilitated gender-based violence, it’s really important to have a baseline, to understand what the scope of the problem is, what forms it is taking, and to understand what is ground zero so that a plan can be put in place,” Wojnar said.
She added that reliable evidence would help authorities understand the forms of abuse taking place and design appropriate interventions.
The assessment recommends establishing clearer reporting and referral mechanisms, improving coordination among relevant agencies and strengthening support services for survivors. It also calls for frontline workers to receive appropriate training to identify and respond to technology-enabled abuse.
Improved national data collection is another priority, particularly as digital threats continue to evolve. Systems designed around existing forms of cyber abuse will also need to adapt to challenges arising from artificial intelligence and increasingly sophisticated manipulation of digital content.
With technology becoming more deeply embedded in everyday life, the assessment underlines the need for Bhutan’s response to evolve alongside it, ensuring that victims can report abuse easily, access coordinated support and receive effective protection when harm moves from the physical world to the digital one.
