Today, the UK Government has announced that women and girls will finally be included in the Online Safety Bill – and it’s thanks you, all 100,000+ of you, who told the Prime Minister and Secretary of State that this law must include us.

100,000 voices cannot be ignored!

As you'll know, Glitch, EVAW and a coalition of expert organisations have been calling for the new law to introduce a Violence Against Women and Girls Code of Practice, which would hold tech companies accountable for tackling and preventing abuse on their platforms.

While this new guidance does not go as far as we'd like, it is a huge step in the right direction for women and girls' rights online. It’s taken us six years to get to this point, but today we’ve heard that the online harms faced by women and girls will be explicitly mentioned in the law. That is a huge achievement!

The Online Safety Bill has yet to complete its journey through Parliament, with further opportunities for improvements coming in July in the House of Lords.

As we take time to reflect on the details of the government’s amendment over the coming days, we will share our reflections and next steps. What’s clear is that the stakes have been raised for tech companies, and the next few months will be crucial to making sure this Bill adequately protects women and girls. So please do keep sharing and supporting our campaign!

In the meantime, we offer our deep gratitude to you – our incredible community of digital citizens – for getting us this far.

In gratitude,

Seyi and Andrea