OPINION
As we wrap up, this year’s 16 Days of Activism campaign challenges governments, and technology companies to recognize that ending violence against women must include eliminating digital violence. For governments, this means updating laws and national gender policies to explicitly include online abuse, cyberstalking, and non-consensual image sharing as forms of gender-based violence and should be punishable like any other. women who report online attacks are dismissed with claims that “it is not real” . Such responses ignore the emotional, professional, and sometimes physical harms that follow online threats. For women environmental defenders, who are often at the front lines of climate negotiation and grassroots leadership, this is not just a technology problem it is a barrier to climate justice.
At the same time, eliminating violence against women and girls also requires addressing structural violence caused by fossil fuel dependence and climate injustice. Governments and development banks should phase out and down fossil fuels and instead invest in community-centered renewable energy solutions that empower women and girls economically. When women have economic autonomy, they are less vulnerable to violence and exploitation.
Notably, women environmental defenders need protection frameworks, both offline and online. Governments should legally recognize activists as human rights defenders and establish rapid response mechanisms that offer legal advice, security support, and psychosocial assistance. At the community level, women’s networks play a critical role in offering solidarity, reporting abuse, and amplifying collective responses. These movements must be strengthened, not sidelined.
Digital platforms must also accept responsibility. Technology companies cannot continue to profit from women’s participation while doing little to protect them. Stronger reporting systems, faster content removal processes, transparency about complaint outcomes, and collaboration with women’s rights organizations are crucial. Platforms should also enhance tools that allow women to block, filter, and document harassment, ensuring they maintain control over their online space.
Furthermore, there should be digital literacy and security training for women and girls, empowering them to protect their data, recognize digital risks, and participate safely online. These efforts should be complemented by public education campaigns linking digital violence, climate justice, and women’s rights. Schools, community groups, media platforms, men and boys must be engaged to challenge harmful norms that normalize the abuse of women in both public and digital spaces.
The fight to end violence against women has entered a new era. The 16 Days of Activism campaign reminds us that digital violence is real, harmful, and deeply connected to social and environmental injustices. Women cannot fully lead climate movements, defend land rights, or participate in public debate if they are threatened into silence online. Ending violence against women means creating safe homes, safe communities, and safe digital spaces. Most importantly, it means uniting across sectors, movements, and borders to ensure that women and girls can speak, lead, and thrive without fear online and offline. Only then can we achieve true gender equality, climate justice, and transformative change.
By Ainembabazi Shallon,
Programs officer – Women for Green Economy Movement Uganda (WOGEM)
