The Government Council has approved a bill to amend the Criminal Code in order to provide more effective tools to combat cyberviolence.
The move follows a rise in cases involving digital forms of harassment and abuse, which authorities say must no longer be tolerated or go unpunished. According to Justice Minister Élisabeth Margue, the new legislation will explicitly criminalise sexual deepfakes, cyberflashing – defined as the unsolicited sending of sexual images – and broader forms of online sexual harassment. These offences, which were previously either unaddressed or ambiguously covered under existing laws, are now set to become clearly defined criminal acts.
International research indicates that women are disproportionately affected by cyberviolence. The Ministry of Justice notes that current legal provisions have often proven too neutral, making it difficult to consistently prosecute these offences.
