.
..Champions Fight Against Digital Violence
The Bayelsa State Ministry of Women, Children Affairs, Empowerment and Social Development has joined the global community to commemorate the 2025 Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an international campaign observed annually from November 25 to December 10. This year’s activities focused strongly on protecting women and girls from digital forms of abuse, reflecting a growing concern around online safety.
To mark the campaign, the Ministry organized an awareness road walk from Road Safety Junction to Ekeki Park in Yenagoa. The event spotlighted the 2025 global theme, “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls.” The theme draws attention to the rising misuse of digital platforms to harass, threaten, manipulate, or exploit women and girls—behaviors that mirror and sometimes escalate into physical abuse.
Addressing participants during the sensitization walk, Ms. Angenes Oloya noted that digital spaces have become an extension of everyday life, making online violence just as harmful as physical violence. She explained that online harassment can silence victims, affect mental well-being, and limit young women’s ability to participate confidently in public, academic, and professional spaces.
Ms. Oloya encouraged parents and guardians to stay attentive to their children’s online behavior, guiding them toward safe digital practices. She emphasized open communication, digital literacy, and supportive supervision as better alternatives to fear or blame. She further urged families to nurture confidence and life skills in young girls, especially those that promote hard work and financial independence. According to her, empowered girls are better equipped to recognize unhealthy online interactions and protect themselves from manipulation or exploitation.
Also speaking at the event, Lady Eunice Nnachi, Executive Director of the Women Organized for Mentorship and Advocacy Network (WOMAN), FiDA, NAWOJ , BANGOF all highlighted the growing risks associated with interacting with strangers online. She warned that some individuals hide behind fake identities to exploit young girls, stressing the need for early awareness and safety education.
They encouraged girls to pursue vocational skills and personal development opportunities that build resilience and self-sufficiency, emphasized that, no woman or girl should feel pressured to depend on others for survival and reaffirmed the CSO’s dedication to mentorship, empowerment, and policy advocacy.
Lady Nnachi particularly called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, civil society groups, community leaders, and the public, noting that ending gender-based violence requires collective responsibility. According to her, violence against women and girls—whether online or offline—must be condemned everywhere and a
t all times.
