The Ghana Online Safety Alliance on Saturday led an Orange Street Float in Tamale to climax the 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, drawing attention to the growing threat of digital and technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.
The float brought together civil society organisations, activists, and community members who marched through major streets of the metropolis to raise awareness and call for safer, more inclusive online spaces. Participants carried placards and banners with messages condemning online abuse and urging collective action to protect women and girls in digital spaces.
Speaking during the event, Hajia Sagito Saeed, Executive Director for SWIDA Ghana and a member of the Ghana Online Safety Alliance, stressed that online abuse should no longer be trivialised.
“Digital violence is real violence. The harm does not end online; it affects mental health, livelihoods, leadership opportunities, and the dignity of women and girls,” she said.
Savana Signatures, one of the participating organisations, highlighted the link between digital safety and women’s participation in leadership and development.
Speaking on the sidelines of the march, the Head of Programs at Savana Signatures, Ms Emefa Ethel Ehla, said her organisation, as an ICT for Development organisation, recognises that online abuse is a real form of violence with serious and long-lasting effects on survivors.
She noted that digital violence continues to silence voices, limit opportunities, and derail the aspirations of women and girls, particularly in the Northern Region and across Ghana.
She explained that the float was organised to take the conversation beyond policy rooms and social media into public spaces where communities can engage and reflect.
“We organised this Orange Street Float to make it clear that online spaces must not become another unsafe place for women and girls. Everyone – institutions, families, tech companies, and individuals – has a role to play in ending technology-facilitated gender-based violence,” Emefa explained.
The Ghana Online Safety Alliance, a multi-stakeholder consortium formed under the SafeDigitalNorth campaign, aims to coordinate national efforts to prevent technology-facilitated gender-based violence. The Alliance works to promote digital safety education, advocate for stronger protective and punitive systems, and strengthen collaboration among civil society, government institutions, and the private sector.
Organisers emphasised that while the 16 Days of Activism campaign has ended, sustained engagement and coordinated action remain essential to addressing digital violence and protecting the rights, dignity, and safety of women and girls in Ghana.
By: Prince Kwame Tamakloe/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
