On 2 July 2026, the Council of Europe’s Cybercrime Division launched a new online tool providing comparative information on domestic legislation addressing cyberviolence worldwide. The tool forms part of the Cyberviolence Resource, one of the online tools developed under the Council of Europe’s Octopus Project. The Cyberviolence Resource brings together work across different sectors of the Organisation to support citizens and criminal justice authorities in addressing cyberviolence.

The database contains more than 1,600 entries based on responses to a questionnaire adopted by the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) at its 32nd Plenary meeting. At the time of its launch, 45 countries had responded to the questionnaire. The information covers five main areas: online xenophobia and racism, cyberviolence against children, cyberviolence against women, online trafficking in human beings, and cyberviolence against journalists.

The tool allows users to search by topic, country or both and to compare the legal frameworks of two countries in parallel. It is intended in particular to assist law enforcement practitioners in identifying the scope of relevant offences across jurisdictions and thereby facilitate international cooperation. Policymakers and government officials can also use it to assess national approaches and identify possible areas for legislative development.

The questionnaire also covered domestic case law, national strategies and policies, research initiatives, victim support mechanisms, hotlines, and activities of civil society organisations. These responses will be used to develop and update other sections of the Cyberviolence Resource.