Technological advancements have brought numerous challenges to humanity. One of them is a new form of aggression affecting millions of people worldwide: digital violence.
The term digital violence refers to various forms of harassment, degradation, discrimination, or social isolation on the internet or through electronic means of communication. It is one of the issues recently raised in Maputo, within the framework of the global campaign of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
The annual initiative takes place from November 25th to December 10th. It seeks to mobilize people, institutions, and governments to combat all forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
The chosen period brings together dates of great symbolic importance for human rights and the protection of women, namely the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (November 25th); the International Day for the Fight Against HIV/AIDS (December 1st); and Human Rights Day (December 10th).
According to activist Josina Machel, she draws attention to the increase in cases of digital violence, which she considers one of the most devastating forms of aggression against women and girls. The activist highlighted that many young women are exposed, extorted, and abused on digital platforms, with permanent consequences.
“What we have seen on social media goes far beyond small aggressions. These are acts that destroy lives and leave eternal scars,” she said.
During the official launch of the 16 Days of Activism in Maputo, Josina Machel argued that awareness and the fight against gender-based violence must take place throughout the year.
“The 16 days have to be 365, because we witness and experience cases in which women are physically, sexually, and emotionally assaulted every day,” she said, warning that complete statistical data on violence is still lacking and calling for collective responsibility to confront this “national crisis.”
Concern about the worsening of gender-based violence is also shared by the Observatory of Femicide in Mozambique. The organization's coordinator, Lúcia Honga, highlights that the province of Sofala, especially the city of Beira, has registered an alarming increase in cases of women's murders.
Honga explains that these are femicides, deaths motivated by the victims' gender, and warns of the continuous escalation of these crimes. The organization is working on creating prevention and intervention mechanisms in an attempt to curb a phenomenon that intensifies every day.
The campaign emphasizes the importance of strengthening mechanisms for reporting, assisting, and monitoring victims, strengthening the accountability of aggressors, and intensifying prevention actions through education and community empowerment.
In Maputo City alone, between January and November of this year, 421 women and girls were victims of gender-based violence and received assistance, a number that shows the urgency of more effective and coordinated responses.
(By Joana Mawai)
