A group of people sit around a wooden table, each holding a smartphone. Their hands form a loose circle, showing how many different voices and lives are connected through digital spaces. The mix of phones and hands highlights how online interactions can bring people together, but can also be a place where harm happens.

Why allyship matters in the digital age

Every year, the global 16 Days of Activism campaign sheds light on the urgent issue of violence against women and girls. This year, the theme, “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”, resonates deeply with the reality faced by many. Increasingly, digital platforms are being used as tools for control, surveillance, and abuse.

At Savera UK, we work to end ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) and harmful practices. In our work, we see how digital violence doesn’t exist in isolation; it’s often part of a wider web of control and coercion. Allyship, both online and offline, plays a powerful role in challenging these abuses and creating a safer future.

The digital dimensions of ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices 

Digital abuse often reflects the same restrictive norms, harmful beliefs, and expectations seen in offline control. In the context of ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices, digital platforms can become extensions of the structures used to monitor, shame, and silence individuals.

Some forms include:

  • Forced deactivation or deletion of social media profiles
  • Constant monitoring of messages, call logs, or social media accounts
  • Pressure to share passwords or surrender access to private content
  • Threats to expose personal conversations or images as punishment
  • Online shaming within family or community group chats
  • Circulation of rumours or screenshots used to justify further restrictions
  • Use of tracking apps to monitor movements

What happens online can have immediate offline consequences. A single screenshot or false rumour can lead to further control, forced isolation, or physical/psychological harm. For many, the digital world is not separate from real life; it’s a critical part of their lived experience and safety.

Why digital allyship matters

‘Honour’-based abuse and harmful practices often operate collectively. Expectations and control can come not just from one person, but through entire networks, i.e., relatives, community members, partners, and individuals in different cities and even countries. Digital platforms make it easier for collective surveillance to occur.

This can result in:

  • Harm spreading quickly across community networks
  • Reputation being policed in real time
  • Continuous monitoring from multiple sources, enabled by apps and social platforms

For someone at risk or experiencing ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices, the fear is constant. Anything said, posted or shared might be used against them, which is why allyship should no longer be optional. 

What digital allyship can look like

We see allyship as choosing to stand alongside someone, especially those who may feel they have none. It’s the everyday decision to challenge harm, and not look away from it, especially when that harm is happening online. 

Here are ways to practice digital allyship:

  • Report harmful or threatening content and accounts
  • Don’t save or share private or intimate images or videos without consent
  • Step in if someone is being targeted, shamed or exposed online
  • Block and report fake or anonymous accounts used for stalking or control
  • Reach out privately to someone you believe is being targeted, and ask if they or reach out to a specialist service like Savera UK 
  • Help someone change their privacy settings or remove harmful content if they ask
  • Share information about specialist support services, without tagging or outing anyone
  • If safe, store evidence of abuse only if the person wants this and knows it’s being kept

Allyship doesn’t always need to be loud. Sometimes it’s the quiet choices that make the biggest impact. Every action that disrupts digital harm helps create safer spaces for people to move forward.

A Police Community Support and Traffic Officer sits with their back to the camera in a bright, plant-filled greenhouse otherwise known as the Palm House, located in Sefton Park. Decodant greenery surrounds the room. Empty chairs surround them, and a few people sit in the distance. The scene captures a quiet moment of presence and reassurance.

What allyship looks like for professionals 

For professionals, allyship goes beyond your duty and responsibilities. It’s choosing to create intentionally safe spaces where someone can speak openly, transparently, and without fear of judgement.

When digital pressure is part of someone’s experience, allyship can look like:

  • Noticing digital changes (sudden silence, monitoring, deleted posts) and offering space to talk
  • Believing someone when they say they’re being watched or judged online, even if there’s no “evidence”
  • Challenging assumptions in team spaces when digital control is minimised or dismissed 
  • Keeping conversations private, especially if they fear their devices are checked
  • Sharing clear information about specialist services without pushing for disclosure

Challenging systems, not just individuals 

While individual actions matter, lasting change requires more. Digital violence continues to thrive because the systems around us haven’t evolved – from platforms that fail to respond to reports, algorithms that elevate abuse, and laws that don’t reflect today’s threats need to be challenged and held accountable.

We must:

  • Hold tech companies accountable for inaction
  • Advocate for stronger online protections in law and policy
  • Demand systems that prioritise safety, equity and dignity

Ending digital abuse, like ending ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices, requires systemic change. It takes all of us to challenge the norms and structures that enable harm.

Our message 

At Savera UK, we believe that everyone deserves the right to live free from fear and abuse. Digital violence is another layer of the challenges faced by those at risk or experiencing ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices. However, every act of allyship chips away at that harm.

By standing with survivors, challenging harmful behaviours, and speaking out when it would be easier to stay silent, we make space for new beginnings.

Further support 

If you or someone you know is at risk or experiencing ‘honour’-based abuse and harmful practices, you can contact our helpline 0800 107 0726 (10am – 4pm, Monday – Friday, excluding Bank Holidays).