Tirana, Albania – Online spaces are part of everyday life. They are where people connect, learn, and express themselves. But for many women and girls these spaces can also become places of fear, harassment, and harm.

During the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, UN Women Albania launched a digital campaign to shine a light on online violence against women and girls and to remind the public that abuse online is neither harmless nor just “virtual” – it has real and lasting consequences in women’s lives.

Running from 25 November to 10 December, the campaign “Online Violence is Real Violence” – #NoExcuse for online abuse, focused on helping people better understand what online violence looks like, why it matters, where to report and what can be done to stop it.

Making the invisible visible

Online violence takes many forms, from harassment and threats to stalking, non-consensual sharing of images, deepfakes, and coordinated attacks. Yet, many of these behaviors are still poorly understood – even normalized – and conversations about digital harm are still emerging.

Through clear visuals and simple language, UN Women Albania explained different forms of technology-facilitated abuse and why they should never be dismissed. Beyond statistics, the campaign emphasized how online abuse affects real lives, leading to anxiety, fear, self-censorship, and withdrawal from public and digital

To read the full article, please head over to its original place of publishing at albania.unwomen.org