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HARARE — As the International community observes the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the Women’s Prosperity Group (WPG) is in solidarity with women and girls who continue to endure violence in all its forms, both visible and invisible, physical and digital.
The commemoration runs from November 25 to December 10 under the global theme: End digital violence against all women and girls, Join the UNiTE campaign to stop digital abuse.
In a statement Sandra Matendere, Executive Director of the Women’s Prosperity Group said this year’s theme, UNiTE to end digital violence against women and girls, emphasizes the urgency of confronting one of the most rapidly growing threats to women’s rights in the digital age.
“While the digital space has become an essential platform for communication, activism, education, and economic participation, it has simultaneously become a new frontier where women and girls face harassment, cyberbullying, intimidation, surveillance, cyber stalking, image-based abuse, and targeted disinformation,” Matendere said.
These online violations can have real-world consequences, including psychological trauma, reputational harm, restricted freedom of expression, and economic exclusion.
The group said the emergence of cyber-extortion and extortion, in which digital tools are exploited to demand sexual favors or monetary bribes in exchange for services or protection.
“Such practices reinforce gender inequality and perpetuate a cycle that discourages safe and active participation in online spaces, thereby widening the digital gender divide,” the statement added.
Exclusion from the digital sphere—whether through violence, intimidation, or corrupt systems—limits women’s ability to access opportunities, report abuses, or engage in democratic processes.
The WPG added that gender-based violence and corruption are deeply interconnected.
“In today’s digitally dependent society, corruption has evolved beyond physical systems and into the online environment, where it can spread rapidly with far-reaching consequences. It fuels impunity, weakens justice systems, and silences victims.
Women seeking justice for digital violence may encounter extortion, bribery demands, or deliberate delays within institutions meant to protect them,” Matendere added.
Corruption in public institutions can also discourage reporting of abuse, while online platforms can facilitate the spread of harmful content that further victimizes women.
To address these multifaceted challenges, the group calls for a collective approach to empower women and girls with digital literacy skills, enabling them to navigate online spaces safely and confidently.
Government, civil society, the private sector, faith communities, and individuals are urged to collaborate to create a safe, inclusive, and corruption-free environment for women and girls.
She noted that the 16 Days theme emphasizes a united response to digital violence and a commitment to safeguarding the rights and participation of women and girls in the digital age.
