The Smile Outreach Engages in Ongoing Campaign Activities to Combat Digital Grooming During the 16 Days of Activism.

As part of this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, The Smile Outreach has launched and is continuing to implement a series of activities to combat digital grooming and strengthen community resilience against online gender-based violence. These efforts align with the global call to “End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls” and emphasize the rising need to protect young people in digital spaces.

Running from November 25 to December 10, 2025, the campaign mobilizes adolescents, educators, parents, community leaders, and digital allies through strategic tools, field activities, and national convenings that drive awareness and real-world action. 

“This campaign represents the heart of our mission: empowering and creating safe spaces, including the digital world,” stated Emmanuella Imo, Director of Communications at The Smile Outreach. We are equipping adolescents, parents, and educators with the knowledge and tools they need to recognize, prevent, and respond to online abuse”.

Key Campaign Activities 

16 Acts and Actions Against Digital Grooming Resource Pack

The Smile Outreach launched a flagship two-part publication designed to equip communities with practical knowledge and preventive tools:

• 16 Acts of Digital Grooming That Must End – spotlighting manipulation tactics commonly used by online perpetrators.
• 16 Actions to End Digital Grooming – offering simple, actionable steps for prevention, recognition, reporting, and response.

A complementary Social Media Toolkit is powering an ongoing 16-day digital awareness drive, with daily educational prompts, infographics, and ready-to-use captions to help communities sustain conversation and action.

Resources available at: https://campaigns.thesmileoutreach.africa/16-acts-2025/

Voices Against Violence Annual Gathering (VAV25)

One of the major highlights of this year’s 16 Days campaign was the successful hosting of the Voices Against Violence Annual Gathering (VAV25), held on November 29, 2025, in Abuja.

The event brought together youth advocates, policymakers, educators, and partners to reflect on the realities of digital and offline gender-based violence, share insights from grassroots and digital advocacy, and discuss emerging strategies for prevention and response

VAV25 also celebrated youth creativity through the Hand-to-Mind Writing Competition, recognizing outstanding writing that amplifies the movement’s messages.

Tri-regional Virtual Livestream on Digital Grooming & Online Safety

AMAZE Africa, in partnership with The Smile Outreach (Nigeria), The Clicking Generation (Botswana), and Amour Afrique (DRC), will host a Tri-Regional Virtual Launch on December 10 to officially kickstart the 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

This upcoming webinar will convene young advocates, educators, and digital rights champions from across the three regions to build early momentum during the 2025 global campaign. The session will spotlight youth-led digital advocacy, cross-border solidarity, and regional strategies for addressing gender-based violence online and offline.

Through these coordinated efforts, ranging from national convenings and community mobilization to publication launches and digital advocacy, The Smile Outreach continues to advance safer, more inclusive, and more accountable digital environments for adolescents and young women.

About The Smile Outreach

The Smile Outreach is a dedicated non-profit organization with a mission to empower and uplift communities across Africa, focusing on adolescent health, women’s empowerment, and youth agency for social change. 

The Smile Outreach is driven by a commitment to tackle pressing issues across the following areas: sexual grooming and cross-generational sexual relationships, menstrual inequity, child marriage, and harmful traditional practices through education, support, and advocacy. We do this by creating and implementing educational and interventional initiatives that address critical social issues at the grassroots level.