16 Days of Activism 2025 and Elimination of Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls

Every year, we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls on the 25th of November. This is an impactful time for reflection to acknowledge the devastating impact of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) globally, which is followed by 16 Days of Activism. During this period, we express our commitment to combating GBV through activism, fundraising and campaigning for meaningful change. This year’s theme, established by UN Women, will focus on ending Digital Violence against all Women and Girls. This call to action invites us all to recognise both our individual and collaborative capacity to instigate change in delivering digital safety to Women and Girls globally.

The risk of digital violence has evolved simultaneously with technological progress and the increased access to digital tools, which can be exploited for abuse. In Refuge, we have identified a 205% increase in referrals to our Tech-Facilitated Abuse and Economic Empowerment (TFAEE) team between the beginning of service delivery in 2018 and 2024, which highlights the increasing prevalence of digital violence and the need for support addressing tech-facilitated abuse. In addition to the growing prevalence, we have also seen complex forms of abuse become more common, facilitated through different forms of advanced tech such as spyware.

The rise of generative AI(GenAI) has also produced new challenges to digital safety by establishing new platforms that can be and are exploited and manipulated by abusers to inflict harm on victims. Ofcom’s research on the prevalence of deepfake technology as a form of GenAI stated that 14% of its research participants reported having seen a sexual deepfake, and evidence indicates that the majority of this content depicts women. The gendered nature of deepfake-facilitated abuse has had a significant impact in undermining women’s sense of safety online. Research by ESET (based on a survey of over 2000 participants) found that 61% of women expressed concern about being a victim of deepfake sexual image abuse. This indeed highlights the capacity of digital violence, furthering digital exclusion by pushing victims and survivors to exist in digital spaces that are deemed unsafe.

In Refuge, we recognise that tech-facilitated abuse can increase survivor isolation, often by removing their access to safe devices or uncompromised use of online accounts such as emails, online banking or social media. We aim to counter this form of digital violence by facilitating survivor access to support in re-establishing digital safety. So, if you are a professional supporting a survivor of tech-facilitated abuse, or someone worried about their own digital safety, here are some safety issues to consider when navigating online spaces.

1- Access specialist support

If you are concerned about your own digital safety, know that support is available.
The National Domestic Abuse Helpline can be accessed 24/7 and can provide support and advice in creating a personalised safety and support plan that responds directly to your circumstances. The Helpline can be contacted on a freephone 0808 2000 247. Support is also available via British Sign Language – 10 AM to 6 PM Monday to Friday.
If you have access to a safe device, you can also access Refuge’s tech safety guides through our website.

StopNCII offers support to survivors of non-consensual intimate image-based abuse and provides help in removing reported images.

2- Consider your digital footprint.

Everything we do online will leave a digital footprint – whether you are browsing your favourite news website, tagging a restaurant in a Facebook post, or accessing your email address. Some of these activities can leave a digital footprint that is available in the public domain, for example, if you have been tagged in a publicly visible status or image posted on social media. Ensure to conduct searches for your own details using a variety of search engines to identify what information about you can be accessed publicly. You can also search for images by completing a reverse image search on Google.

3- Secure your online financial accounts.

With a move towards a cashless society, we have seen an increase in our dependence on digital finance and the importance of digital safety when managing online financial accounts. These accounts record a lot of confidential information, such as our address history, location of our spending activities and our contact details – all of which can be accessed in real time digitally.

Review security settings for each financial account that you may have, such as food delivery services, Amazon, transport and taxi accounts, as well as online banking. Check the security of your login credentials, contact details, account recovery information and two-factor authentication. If you notice anything unusual, ensure to alert the relevant financial agency as soon as possible.

Check your credit report regularly to confirm that all information reported on your financial circumstances is accurate. It is especially important to check your credit report if you have been a victim of fraud or if your online accounts have been accessed by someone else previously.

4- Emails and social media platforms

All email and social media platforms will have unique privacy and security settings; however, ensure to check these key areas.

Make sure to review login history on each account, location tracking services, blocked contacts, account recovery information, and two-factor authentication. For social media platforms, you can also check if your profile can be found in a public domain or be tagged in other users’ public posts.

Make sure to always use a strong password for each account. A strong password will include a combination of letters, words and symbols and will avoid using terms that could be guessed by others.

Making discussed changes could alert the abuser and increase the risk of harm. If you are concerned that your tech is being monitored by someone else, contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline to discuss safety planning before any changes are implemented.

Digital safety is a fundamental right, and everyone deserves the right to enjoy the benefits of digital access without the fear of violence.

If you would like to find out more about tech-facilitated abuse as part of your commitment to 16 Days of Activism, please ensure to check out our upcoming digital training packages, which can be accessed through our website.

Refuge in Conversation with... Eni Aluko

In this episode, Larome at Refuge, sits down with Eni Aluko MBE, a trailblazer whose career spans elite sport, law, broadcasting, business leadership, and philanthropy.
A former professional footballer, Eni enjoyed an exceptional playing career with Chelsea, Juventus, and the England national team, earning 104 caps over 11 years and representing Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Off the pitch, she graduated from Brunel University with First Class Honours in Law and went on to qualify as a UK solicitor. A testament to her drive both academically and professionally.
Eni has broken new ground as a football executive, becoming the first-ever Sporting Director of the high-profile Angel City FC women’s team in Los Angeles. She is also a prominent football broadcaster, offering expert analysis for ITV, Amazon, and Fox Sports, covering the most-watched competitions in both the men’s and women’s game.
Her passion for health and wellbeing, online safety, body confidence, and equal opportunities for women and girls worldwide drives her philanthropic efforts. She is an ambassador for Adidas and UEFA, and a highly sought-after keynote speaker.
In recognition of her impact on and off the field, Eni was awarded an MBE in November 2023.
Beyond her professional achievements, she is enjoys travel, creativity, fashion, food, and chess.
This podcast episode dives into the experiences, mindset, and values that have shaped her remarkable journey. Listen here on Spotify.

Back by popular demand! Power and Control in the Age of AI Webinar

Back by popular demand, we are re-launching our Power and Control in the Age of AI webinar on Tuesday 13th January November (10am - 12pm: online).
This session aims to shed light on the emerging risks of AI to survivors of domestic abuse. Participants will leave with strategies to navigate AI-driven challenges centred around survivor safety and autonomy, empowering frontline professionals to explore the impact of AI and its role in reshaping the VAWG landscape.

Eventbrite Link

Free tickets are available and are allocated on a first come first served basis. Remaining tickets are £5 for charity and statutory professionals and £10 for profit organisations. Participants have to sign up with their professional email to register as per our terms and conditions.

Tackling VAWG and App Safety

25th November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. Set up by the UN in 1981 to raise awareness about the issue, the movement now marks the start of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

To help tackle VAWG, many tech-based solutions have been created to empower and help women. Whilst tech certainly has a role to play in the elimination of VAWG and can be used in positive ways; there are concerns about the use of some apps and the role they could play in gender based or state base violence. We’ll take a look at some of these apps from a technology facilitated abuse perspective, looking at how some of them could be misused and what to be aware of when downloading one of these apps.

Period tracking Apps

With more health apps coming onto the market, there has also been an increase in apps designed to track menstrual cycles and fertility. Many are marketed as helpful tools to conceive, understand your cycle better, and even determine the best time to exercise.
However, there’s been increasing concern about where this data could be shared and if it could make its way into the hands over advertisers. More concerningly, with the over-turning of Roe vs Wade in the USA and more restrictions to women’s health care across the world, there are concerns that the information collected by the apps could be used as evidence in police investigations.

Safety Apps

Safety apps can be a lifeline for people who need to call the police quickly when out and about alone. Some can also record evidence of an incident and can add to a sense of safety for many people
However, ensuring that no one else has access the device is very important. Many track location so ensuring that no one else has access to the device or can guess the password for the app is hugely important so as not to further endanger a survivor.

Parenting Apps

Many people rely on parenting apps to ensure their children are using the internet safely. They can help ensure content is appropriate and that children are not spending too long online. Yet some parental apps have extremely similar features to spyware and can track phone calls, location and search history, the extent of which raises concerns about privacy. As a team, we have seen these apps being misused by perpetrators to monitor and control.

Who made the App?

Apps are not necessarily set up by experts in a field or medical professionals. Check the background of the person who designed the app and there qualifications. What affiliations do they have with other people or organisations?

Who is on the App’s board?

If it’s a medical app, does the board have a medical expert on it? Are there board members with links to other organisations? If so, what are they?

What data are they collecting about you?

What data is it collecting? Could this be used of other purposes? Do you know what they then do with the data?

Could the app have another purpose?

Check the messaging and marketing on the app. Some spyware apps will mention catching cheating partners on their site, highlighting they are not necessarily just for parental monitoring. Examining the marketing can help to determine what the app is actually used for.

Is your device secure?

It’s hugely important that one else has access to your device, especially if an app is collecting information about location data, emails or medical data.