Across Africa, digital technology is transforming economies, governance, and civic participation. It holds immense promise for development, women’s empowerment, and gender equality. Yet this same digital space is increasingly being used to harm women and girls, creating new and far-reaching forms of gender-based violence.

Online harassment, cyberstalking, non-consensual sharing of images, misinformation, and digital exclusion are no longer isolated concerns. They shape how women participate in public life, whether young girls feel safe to express themselves, and whether women can claim leadership, opportunity, and voice. Digital violence reflects the same power imbalances women face offline, but it spreads faster, reaches further, and leaves deeper scars.

The African Union (AU) has been clear in its vision for a digitally inclusive continent, where technology strengthens participation and accelerates women’s leadership. Through the Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, the AU has set a strong normative standard against all forms of violence. Yet digital violence now threatens to undermine hard-won gains made under Agenda 2030 and AU Agenda 2063. If left unchecked, it risks silencing women and girls, weakening leadership, and slowing development gains.

UNDP’s long-standing partnership with the African Union reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that women shape Africa’s digital future. Initiatives such as the African Young Women Leaders Fellowship Programme (AfYWL) invest in young African women as innovators, policy leaders, and decision-makers in a rapidly evolving global landscape. Still, the reality remains stark. As digital access expands, so do risks. Many women and girls continue to navigate online spaces without adequate protection, accountability, or support.

This year’s 16 Days of Activism theme, “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” is therefore both urgent and timely. It calls on governments, development partners, civil society, communities, and technology platforms to act decisively. In The Gambia, important steps are being taken to ensure that digital transformation is safe and inclusive. The partnership between UNDP and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare is grounded in a shared commitment to gender equality, strong institutions, and inclusive development. Together, we are working to ensure that digital progress does not come at the expense of women’s safety or human rights.

Advancing leadership and voice: From Barriers to Representation

Women’s leadership is central to accountable governance. With UNDP’s support, more than 70 percent of aspiring women leaders and over 60 percent of women affiliated with political parties have strengthened their leadership, advocacy, and communication skills. Combined with institutional reforms and changes to party bylaws, these efforts are delivering results.

In the 2023 local government elections, women’s representation among councillors rose from about 8 percent to 19 percent, including the election of the country’s first woman mayor. At the community level, women’s participation in district tribunals increased from 22 percent to 52 percent. These gains demonstrate that targeted reforms work.

However, progress remains fragile. Structural barriers persist, including the absence of temporary special measures, weak enforcement of gender commitments, and limited reform within political institutions. Digital violence adds another layer of risk, discouraging young women and aspiring leaders from speaking publicly, engaging politically, or asserting their rights. A strong governance system must protect women’s voices wherever they participate. Ending digital violence is essential to ensuring that women can lead confidently, visibly and without fear.

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT: Women Driving the Digital and Green Economy

Women are shaping The Gambia’s digital and green economy. Through YouthConnekt and digital entrepreneurship initiatives, young women are gaining skills that enable them to compete in changing markets and build economic independence. Women make up 51 percent of YouthConnekt beneficiaries, reflecting growing demand and capability in the digital space.

UNDP’s support to women-led enterprises in renewable energy, clean cooking, and climate-smart agriculture is creating jobs, strengthening community resilience, and expanding green value chains. In agriculture alone, more than 400,000 women, representing over half of project beneficiaries, have adopted climate-smart practices that diversify income and reduce vulnerability to climate shocks. In the North Bank and Upper River Regions, women entrepreneurs have expanded clean-cooking stove production, reinforcing their leadership in the green economy.

These gains depend on safe digital spaces. Women must be able to market products, access finance, connect to markets, and share knowledge online without fear of harassment or exploitation. Digital violence is not only a violation of rights; it is an economic threat.

STRENGTHENING SYSTEMS: Institutions That Protect and Empower.

Digital transformation must be governed in ways that protect, rather than harm. Embedding gender equality across digital systems is essential if technology is to advance inclusion instead of enabling violence.

Institutional reform remains central to preventing and responding to gender-based violence in all its forms. The rollout of the Gender Equality Seal for public institutions, the expansion of gender-responsive planning tools from four to eight sectors, and the development of the National Gender Policy demonstrate the Government’s commitment to accountability and inclusion. These frameworks help create safer environments for women in workplaces, communities, and public life. As digital access grows, these systems must evolve. Stronger cybersecurity measures, accessible reporting mechanisms, digital literacy programmes, and legal protections for survivors of online abuse are no longer optional. They are essential.

A CALL TO ACTION: Ending Digital Violence Is Everyone’s Responsibility

Digital violence threatens rights, weakens governance, and slows development. Ending it requires coordinated action across government institutions, civil society, communities, the private sector, the media, youth organisations, and technology platforms.

We call on all partners to work with us to:

• Strengthen legal frameworks to address online harassment and cyberviolence.

• Promote digital literacy and online safety education for women and girls.

• Ensure that ICT policies are gender responsive.

• Provide accessible reporting, protection, and psychosocial support for survivors.

• Build digital spaces where women can participate, innovate, and lead without fear.

• Hold online platforms accountable for safety, inclusion, and responsible content moderation.

The 16 Days of Activism may come to an end, but the responsibility does not. Every day, we must act to ensure that digital spaces are places of opportunity, not harm. We reaffirm our commitment to a Gambia, and a continent, where every woman and girl can participate freely, confidently, and safely online.

UNiTE to end digital violence. 

UNiTE to protect every woman and girl.

UNiTE for equality.

Honorable Fatou S. Kinteh - Minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, The Gambia 

Ms. Mandisa Mashologu - Resident Representative, UNDP The Gambia