PRESS RELEASE
20th November 2025
The Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative (also known as Partners West Africa-Nigeria) Launches the “16 Days of Activism,” 2025 Campaign to End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls.
The Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative, also known as Partners West Africa Nigeria, is a women-led non-governmental organisation dedicated to strengthening democratic values, enhancing security governance, and promoting citizen participation across Nigeria and West Africa. As part of its mandate to protect vulnerable populations and advance gender equity, Partners West Africa – Nigeria is set to launch the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence 2025 campaign under the global theme “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls.”
As digital spaces increasingly shape how people learn, work, and interact, women and girls are being exposed to new and evolving forms of abuse, including online harassment, cyberbullying, blackmail, sextortion, tracking, misinformation, identity theft, and deepfake exploitation. These harms are widespread yet often overlooked, leaving many without protection or awareness of their digital rights. Partners West Africa – Nigeria’s campaign responds to this growing threat by promoting greater community awareness, digital safety practices, and accountability systems that safeguard women and girls online.
Running from November 25 to December 10, 2025, the campaign aligns with the global movement that begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and concludes on Human Rights Day. Throughout this period, Partners West Africa – Nigeria will intensify its advocacy efforts, amplify prevention messages, and strengthen national understanding of digital gender-based violence and its implications.
Partners West Africa – Nigeria will implement a comprehensive series of national and state-level activities to drive this year’s campaign. These include a digital countdown, educational carousels, animated explainers, and interactive online engagements that equip citizens with practical digital safety skills and knowledge of existing legal protections, such as the Cybercrime Act and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP).
Across our offices located in Abuja, Borno, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Plateau and Kebbi, we will conduct the following activities:
- Leadership & Community Training: traditional and religious leaders, women-led groups, and community structures to strengthen their knowledge of digital abuse and improve support systems for survivors.
- National Webinar & Legal Awareness: The campaign will feature a national webinar on digital education for girls, which will provide a platform for experts, youth, and advocates to deepen conversations around online protection, alongside advocacy content explaining key protection laws such as the Cybercrime Act and the VAPP Act.
- School Sensitisation: conduct digital safety awareness sessions for students across our states of intervention.
- Online Advocacy: partner with traditional media (radio and newspapers) across multiple states to host programs on human rights, online security, and community responses to digital violence, and will also leverage its social media channels to drive a coordinated online awareness campaign.
- The campaign will culminate on December 10, Human Rights Day, with a digital rally, state reflections, and a nationwide call to action urging Nigerians to commit to fostering safer online environments for women and girls. Through this collective effort, Partners West Africa – Nigeria underscores the necessity of protecting digital spaces as integral to protecting human rights.
Through these activities, Partners West Africa – Nigeria reaffirms its unwavering dedication to building safer communities and empowering women and girls to confidently engage in digital spaces. We are committed to fostering a society where every individual, including Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), regardless of gender, can live free from violence and fear.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing gender equality, promoting justice, fostering safe and inclusive communities, and strengthening our core mission of enhancing citizens’ participation, improving security governance, and reinforcing protection systems across Nigeria and West Africa. We believe that every woman and girl deserves the right to speak freely, learn openly, and participate fully in society without fear, whether in physical spaces or in the digital world.
This belief fuels our mission and reinforces our dedication to ensuring that technology becomes a pathway for empowerment, not a channel for abuse. Through our advocacy, partnerships, and community engagement, we continue to champion a future where women and girls can thrive with confidence, safety, and dignity.
Signed:
Ogechukwu Holly Mohanye,
Communications Officer,
Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN).