From Learning to Action: Women in Yemen Take the Lead on Digital Safety
A five-day training has grown into a wider movement of awareness and action, equipping women across Aden, Taiz and Hadhramaut with the knowledge and tools to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
Technology has opened new spaces for women to connect, work, organise and participate in public life. But for many women in Yemen, these spaces also come with serious risks, including online harassment, hacking, impersonation, blackmail, image-based abuse and the misuse of personal information.
To help women navigate these risks more safely, elbarlament, in partnership with GIZ’s Supporting Participation and Dialogue in Yemen (ParticiLogue) project, delivered a comprehensive capacity-building programme focused on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), digital safety and survivor-centred response.
The programme brought together 35 women from Aden, Taiz and Hadhramaut, representing civil society organisations, women’s networks, public institutions, the private sector and vulnerable and underrepresented groups.
But the training was only the beginning.
Over five days, participants moved from understanding the risks of TFGBV to practising practical ways to protect themselves, their organisations and their communities. They learned how to strengthen account security, use two-factor authentication, recognise phishing and other digital threats, communicate more safely, preserve digital evidence, navigate reporting and referral pathways, and support survivors in a safe and sensitive way.
The programme was designed around the realities of the Yemeni context, combining technical digital-security skills with survivor-centred approaches, organisational safeguarding and community action.
Turning knowledge into action
A key strength of the programme was its focus on turning knowledge into action.
Following the training, all 35 participants developed their own community or organisational initiative plans. Through tailored mentorship and remote follow-up, participants received support to adapt their ideas and put them into practice.
Between April and July 2026, participants went on to deliver 20 awareness activities across Aden, Taiz and Hadhramaut, reaching at least 185 people directly.
Their activities reached a wide range of audiences, including university students, women entrepreneurs, civil society organisations, public-sector employees, displaced women, women with disabilities and community groups.
Participants shared practical tools and knowledge on issues such as password security, two-factor authentication, phishing, privacy, evidence preservation, reporting mechanisms and support for survivors of online abuse.
The impact extended beyond the awareness sessions themselves. Participants reported strengthening the security of their own accounts and workplaces, sharing digital-safety knowledge with colleagues and families, using referral pathways to support women affected by violence, and generating demand for further awareness activities.
In one organisation, a digital security and safety code of conduct was developed and approved as part of its internal regulations. Other initiatives included plans for digital-safety awareness in girls’ secondary schools and the development of accessible digital-protection resources for deaf women and girls.
Building resources that last
The programme also produced a collection of practical Arabic-language resources designed to remain useful beyond the project. These include a Digital Safety Toolkit, safety checklist, incident documentation template, reporting pathways guide and organisational safeguarding exercises.
To extend the reach of the programme even further, the project produced a documentary film, five impact videos, professional photography and an educational graphic novel, I Am Her. The graphic novel follows a young Yemeni university student facing digital blackmail and illustrates a survivor-centred journey towards seeking support, protecting digital accounts, preserving evidence and reclaiming confidence and agency.
Together, these resources provide accessible tools for continued learning, awareness-raising and community engagement.
A foundation for safer participation
The programme demonstrated that digital safety is not only about protecting devices and accounts. It is about enabling women to participate confidently and safely in professional, civic and community life.
By combining practical training, mentorship, locally adapted resources and participant-led action, the programme helped women become not only better equipped to protect themselves, but also facilitators, advisers and knowledge multipliers within their organisations and communities.
The work continues beyond the training room: with stronger skills, practical tools and locally led initiatives, women are helping create safer digital spaces for themselves and others across Yemen.