The Tabitha Empowerment Centre (TEC) has mobilised community members and traditional leaders in Kpegyeyi, Abuja, to strengthen male allyship in preventing digital violence and safeguarding survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
The centre made the call at a press conference and community sensitisation held on Sunday in Abuja, as part of the 2025 16 Days of Activism Against GBV.
TEC Founder and Executive Director, Mrs Christina Uzo-Okamgba, emphasised the need for stronger male allyship and renewed community action to prevent technology-facilitated violence and protect GBV survivors.
According to her, the rising cases of digital violence, including cyberbullying, sextortion, harmful content circulation, and online blackmail, have contributed to broken homes, damaged reputations, and derailed ambitions.
She urged community members to take collective responsibility for curbing such acts, declaring that Kpegyeyi would not tolerate any form of digital violence against women and girls under its watch.
Mr Gabriel Onyali, AMAC Protection Officer at the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), noted that traditional forms of abuse, such as domestic violence and rape, were increasingly being perpetrated through digital platforms.
Onyali listed cyberstalking, online harassment, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images as criminal offences under the Cybercrime Act 2015, reviewed in 2024, carrying penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment and fines.
“Community sensitisation and responsible digital behaviour among young people, especially boys, are among the strategies to end GBV.
“NAPTIP’s mandate is to prevent, investigate, and prosecute sexual and gender-based crimes, and to provide protection and rehabilitation for victims,” he said.
Mrs Deborah Life-Alegbemi, representing Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society (CWEENS) FCT chapter, highlighted the prevalence of digital threats, coercion, and blackmail targeting women and girls.
She encouraged men to become active peace promoters and allies within homes and communities.
Ms Gladys Emmanuel, TEC’s Advocacy Officer and In-house Counsel, underscored the centre’s rights-based and survivor-centred approach.
She explained that survivors who report to the centre are allowed to guide decisions on referrals, police involvement, and other interventions.
She added that TEC provides survivors with psychosocial support, legal counselling, and access to its Girls Vanguard Project, which equips young girls with knowledge on human rights, digital literacy, and sexual and reproductive health rights.
During an interactive session, participants examined ways to strengthen male allyship in preventing online abuse.
They emphasised education, awareness creation, policy reform, strict legal enforcement, and community-driven accountability.
They also advocated institutional efforts to build supportive environments for survivors, ensure fair and timely case handling, provide protection orders for vulnerable survivors, and uphold procedural transparency to reinforce trust.
Other activities included the signing of the Male Allyship Pledge, which commits participants to challenging harmful norms, supporting survivors, combating online abuse, and promoting safe digital practices within their homes and communities.
NAN