16 DAYS ACTIVISM

During the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, Rooted Rising Initiative focused on creating conversations that were honest, relatable, and rooted in everyday realities — especially in digital spaces where harm often goes unseen.

We began by creating a simple but powerful carousel that helped people understand how to identify digital-based violence. Many people experience online abuse without realizing it has a name, and this content was designed to help people say, “This is not normal, and it is not okay.”

We also produced a short video on staying safe online, sharing practical tips that women and girls can actually use in their daily digital lives. The goal was not fear, but empowerment — reminding people that safety and boundaries matter online just as much as they do offline.

To show the emotional reality behind online abuse, we released a short, animated video that captured how cyberbullying affects a woman’s mental health. Through animation and storytelling, we wanted viewers to feel what statistics often fail to show — the loneliness, anxiety, and emotional weight that cyberbullying carries.

Beyond our own voices, we created a collective video featuring voices from Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. Journalists, gender rights activists, and advocates shared messages of resistance, care, and solidarity. This reminded us that gender-based violence is not isolated — and neither is the fight against it.

Offline, we joined The Young Environmental Network at a one-day engagement at the University of Port Harcourt, where we explored the theme:

“Environmental Degradation as a Predictor of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Against Women and Girls.”

The conversation connected environmental injustice with increased risks of violence, highlighting how broken systems often place women and girls in harm’s way.

Through these actions, Rooted Rising used storytelling, collaboration, and education to raise awareness, spark reflection, and remind people that ending gender-based violence requires attention to both digital and physical spaces.

For us, the 16 Days of Activism was not just a campaign — it was a commitment to keep listening, speaking up, and creating safer spaces for women and girls.

Find Videos and Pictures on our social media pages.