To commemorate the 2025 16 Days of Activism, the Solidarity Center and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have reaffirmed their commitment to ending gender-based violence and advancing women’s rights and workplace safety.
The pledge was made in Abuja during an awareness session at the annual Harmattan School organised by the NLC.
The awareness session, led by Comrade Deborah Yusuf, Chairperson of the NLC Women’s Commission, brought workers, activists, labour educators, and gender advocates together to address the theme of the 2025 global campaign: “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls.”
In her keynote remarks, Comrade Yusuf emphasized the urgency of confronting the alarming rise of technology-facilitated violence, noting that digital spaces have become new arenas of harm for women and girls.
“Today, the Nigeria Labour Congress joins the global community to launch the 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an annual campaign held from November 25 to December 10. This year’s theme highlights the urgent need to address the rising wave of online abuse in an increasingly digital world,” she said.
She noted that while women have historically faced domestic abuse, sexual harassment, femicide, and other psychological violations, the shift to a more digital society marked by virtual meetings, online learning, and remote work has expanded the battlefield for gender-based violence.
She outlined the emerging threats including cyberbullying, trolling, online sexual harassment, stalking, doxxing, image-based abuse, and non-consensual sharing of intimate images, stressing that these abuses have severe real-life consequences.
“The digital revolution is intensifying existing inequalities and driving one of the fastest-growing forms of abuse against women and girls. This violence extends far beyond the screen and causes deep psychological, social, and economic harm,” she added.
Comrade Yusuf reaffirmed the NLC’s commitment to the implementation of ILO Convention 190 (C190), the groundbreaking global treaty that recognizes violence and harassment in all spheres of work—onsite, remote, and online. She noted that the convention offers a solid legal and policy framework for prevention, reporting, and redress.
Representing the Solidarity Center Country Program Director, Suzie Okome, Program Officer, delivered a goodwill message emphasizing the need for women to speak up and demand justice.
Okome encouraged participants to reject silence in the face of harassment, stating
“Women must stand up, raise their voices, and challenge every form of gender-based violence. No one should endure abuse, offline or online.”
She reiterated the Solidarity Center’s commitment to supporting the NLC, trade unions, and workplace activists in promoting gender justice and safe labor environments.
The 2025 Harmattan School, a flagship NLC capacity-building program, served as a strategic platform for reinforcing gender equality campaigns within the labor movement. The event amplified the call for sustained advocacy, stronger legal protections, and an end to all forms of violence against women and girls.
