MTG Prepares to Mark the 2025 16 Days of Activism – “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls”

By Deo Okoko

On Tuesday, 25th November 2025, Moving the Goalposts (MTG) will join partners, leaders, and communities across Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale, and Tana River Counties to launch the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. This year’s theme, “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” reflects the changing reality facing girls and young women today. Technology has become a powerful space for learning, connection, and self-expression, but it also exposes girls to new and often invisible forms of violence such as cyberbullying, harassment, body shaming, online exploitation, stalking, and non-consensual sharing of images. For MTG, this theme is a timely reminder that digital abuse is real violence with real consequences, and it demands coordinated action and protection.

MTG works with thousands of girls weekly through football, life skills, leadership training, and community programs. As more girls move online, they are doing so without the same guidance and safety nets we work so hard to provide in the physical spaces of schools, homes, and playing fields. Many girls are encountering pressures related to appearance, identity, and public visibility, often without trusted adults who understand the risks associated with online interactions. When a girl is not safe online, she is not fully free, and her potential is restricted.

Over the years, MTG has made significant progress in strengthening both digital and physical protection systems. We have supported policy improvements such as contributing to the development of Tana River’s SGBV Policy, expanded safe spaces where girls learn about rights and safeguarding, and delivered digital literacy sessions at our resource centres and library sessions. MTG has also invested in building community champions, including caregivers, coaches, religious leaders, and local officials, who are better equipped to recognize and intervene in cases of abuse. At the same time, MTG continues engaging boys and young men in conversations that transform harmful masculinities and reduce violence against girls.

Despite this progress, many challenges remain. Digital access and literacy are still limited, especially in rural areas, making girls more vulnerable. Social stigma and victim-blaming discourage survivors from coming forward, and many parents and community leaders do not yet fully understand digital risks or how to respond. Reporting systems and referral pathways for technology-facilitated violence are still growing, and cultural silence around sexuality, exploitation, consent, and online safety means many girls are left to navigate digital spaces alone.

During the 2025 16 Days of Activism, MTG is deepening its commitment across all four counties by expanding digital safety sessions for girls, coaches, parents, and peer educators; strengthening reporting and support pathways for survivors; providing community training to improve understanding and response to digital abuse; and advocating for policies that protect girls’ online rights. MTG will also continue working with boys and men as allies, ensuring that digital safety becomes a shared responsibility rather than the burden of girls alone.

We call on families, schools, community leaders, government, civil society, digital platforms, men and boys, and every person in our communities to take action. Let us unite to challenge harmful norms, speak out when girls are victimized, support survivors, strengthen reporting systems, and create online spaces where girls are safe, respected, and empowered. Ending digital violence begins with each of us, and together we can build a future where every girl can thrive on the field, in the classroom, and online.