Kenyan marathoner and Tirop’s Angels co-founder Viola Cheptoo Lagat is redefining the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) by taking advocacy into digital spaces and grassroots communities.
Speaking during the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Viola warned that technology-facilitated abuse,including cyberbullying, digital grooming, and online blackmail,is rapidly emerging as a major threat to women and girls.
Through Tirop’s Angels, an organisation founded in memory of late athlete Agnes Tirop, Viola works to raise awareness about GBV, support survivors, and educate communities on prevention and safety. She says her career as a professional athlete gives her a powerful platform to reach young people, mobilise support, and engage men as allies.
Viola highlighted that women athletes face intense online harassment, including body-shaming and attacks on their performance, especially after childbirth. She noted that such digital abuse normalises violence and silences survivors.
Originally focused on awareness, Tirop’s Angels has expanded its work to include after-school camps for children, women’s economic empowerment initiatives, and partnerships with boda boda riders as first responders and GBV prevention ambassadors.
Despite Kenya having strong laws against GBV, Viola says gaps remain in justice, survivor support, and safe housing. She added that limited awareness and weak response systems continue to force many survivors to remain with their abusers.
Looking ahead to 2026, Viola plans to establish a fully operational safe house, expand children’s camps, and launch programmes for girls transitioning from high school.
Her message to survivors remains clear: speak out, seek help, and persist. “If women stand together,” she says, “we are very powerful.”
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