LocationsSituational Awareness: Navigating Violence Online and Off
February 4, 2026
The intersection of digital and physical safety for women is explored in depth in this recent Daraj interview with UNDP Innovation Specialist Lilian Abou Zeki and Jamil Saleh, co-founder of Sawab's youth verification network. Below, we examine how the lessons from our self-defense programme in Karantina apply to navigating violence online.
"This is your space. No one is allowed in unless you let them in."
This powerful message was the constant introduction in UNDP's self-defense and situational awareness programme in Beirut's Karantina neighborhood. Digital violence is a mirror of the violence we encounter offline, and the tools we're teaching women to navigate hostile public spaces apply just as much online as they do to real life.
Just as UNDP, in collaboration with OXFAM, has been training women and marginalized adults to feel safe and confident in physical public spaces, we must recognize that online platforms are public spaces too,with different attributes, but parallel risks.
The principle remains the same: visibility is power. The call is not to retreat from public space or surrender the power of presence, whether you're walking down a street or posting on social media. Being public means being vulnerable. The question is: how do you measure the way you want to be public, and what do you make available of yourself online?
The Digital Landscape
Algorithms are trained to amplify inflammatory content, and they will continue to do so. Artificial intelligence has enabled social engineering and extortion at scale. Bullying, doxxing, deepfakes, and harassment have become normalized behaviors in spaces where accountability is often absent and anonymity reigns.
It's not a matter of if you'll encounter digital violence, but when. So just as we teach physical self-defense, we must adopt digital defense strategies.
At the programme's core is a focus on relational awareness, how women interact with their bodies, each other, and the public spaces they occupy. Online, this means understanding how you relate to your digital presence, your network, and the platforms you use. The goal is not to shift responsibility for safety onto women, but rather to give them tools to better navigate an increasingly hostile online space.
Evaluate and Prevent
how do you measure the way you want to be public, and what do you make available of yourself online?
Start with the basics
- Two-factor authentication adds a critical layer of security.
- Separate work and private accounts so you maintain control over who has access to what.
- WhatsApp is particularly vulnerable because it's tied to your phone number. Unlike other platforms where you can choose to accept or decline connection requests. Update your privacy settings regularly.
The goal, always, is to remove yourself from danger. Build safe networks of people, community, and practices. Talk openly across generations; set up your aunts' and Teta’s' security measures. Establish safe words or passwords with loved ones so you can verify identities if you're ever in doubt.
Screenshot and document. The ephemeral nature of online spaces makes proof essential if you need to escalate. Use the available channels for reporting, on platforms and in-country. UNDP's legal aid offices offer free counsel for such cases in four locations across Lebanon.
Understand the levels of escalation. Know when to block, report, or involve authorities.
Collective Responsibility
This isn't just a women's issue. Whatever violence becomes allowed becomes common practice; used against everyone, regardless of gender, orientation, or origin. The problem is social, structural, legal, and behavioral.
Behaviors are changing at a speed that surpasses human grasp. While algorithms continue to amplify inflammation, hate, and disinformation by design, we must flood online spaces with content that molds better behaviors. Behavioral approaches are as critical as policy reforms.
Just as we're teaching women to reclaim physical public spaces with confidence, we must also reclaim digital public spaces, by showing up strategically, safely, and collectively.
Because public space, whether a street corner in Karantina or a comment thread online, belongs to all of us. And we all deserve to move through it freely, safely, and without fear.
Click here for more information on UNDP's legal aid services in Lebanon
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