From Empowerment to Endangerment: Rethinking Girls’ Online Safety

The Safety Report produced by Safety First for Girls (SAFIGI) Foundation, highlighted pressing issues affecting girls today. One of the areas of concern raised in the report is the reality of growing up female in an increasingly digital world, as discussed by Karin Temperley.

The digital world has become a central part of our lives shaping how we learn, communicate, and connect with others. For many young people, especially girls, social media offers opportunities for expression, friendship, and access to information that previous generations could only imagine.

Yet, beneath these advantages lies a troubling reality: the online space is not always a safe space, especially for women and girls.

A Gap That Puts Girls at Risk

As the SAFIGI Safety Report outlines, the digital gap disproportionately affects women. While access to technology has improved globally, women still face more obstacles in fully participating online. Even when this gap is closed, women continue to encounter greater risks and vulnerabilities when navigating the internet.

Cybercrime: A New Dimension of Old Problems

Karin Temperley, cited in the safety report, emphasizes that cybercrime is not a new phenomenon but rather a new dimension of already existing vices such as bullying, scams, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking fueled by pornography.

In the past, a girl facing bullying could find safety once she got home. Today, as the report notes, there is no safe space. Harassment extends beyond the schoolyardand into her bedroom through her phone or computer. The cyberworld removes temporal and spatial limits, allowing abuse to persist round the clock.

Technology: Both Empowering and Dangerous

The SAFIGI Safety Report makes it clear: technology itself is not inherently dangerous. It brings opportunities for education, empowerment, and connection. However, without protective measures, awareness, and accountability, technology becomes a platform for amplifying violence and discrimination against women and girls.

When digital spaces are unsafe, girls’ participation shrinks. They may withdraw, silence themselves, or miss out on life-changing opportunities in education, leadership, and work. This widens gender inequality and denies girls their right to thrive in the digital age.

Building Safer Digital Spaces

The SAFIGI report calls on communities, governments, and tech companies to take responsibility for ensuring online safety. Some important steps include:

• Digital literacy for girls: empowering them with skills to protect themselves online.

• Accountability from tech companies: designing safer platforms and stronger reporting systems.

• Community engagement: parents, teachers, and peers creating open dialogues on digital risks.

• Stronger policies: governments enforcing cyber laws that prioritize women’s and girls’ safety. This is also a call for girls and young women to understand the newly enacted Cyber Act to understand how it benefits them.

The SAFIGI Safety Report reminds us that growing up female in a digital world should not mean growing up unsafe. Technology must serve as a tool for empowerment, not exploitation. Karin Temperley’s contribution to the report emphasizes that while the digital age brings progress, it also demands vigilance and a collective effort to make the online world safe for every girl and woman.