Digital Violence Surge in Africa Demands Urgent Action, Experts Warn
Digital use is expanding rapidly across Africa, bringing with it a sharp rise in online threats, particularly targeting vulnerable groups. Activists and legal experts are sounding the alarm, urging immediate measures to safeguard women, girls, and boys as digital violence escalates continent-wide.
Rising Internet Access Fuels Online Abuse
A significant increase in internet users, combined with a large population under 30, has driven a surge in gendered online violence. Perpetrators are exploiting new digital tools to control and silence women and girls, while also influencing boys. Ayesha Mago, global advocacy director at the Sexual Violence Research Initiative, highlighted the severity of the issue, stating that the online world is amplifying offline inequalities, potentially laying the groundwork for a highly unequal future.
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), as defined by the UN, involves acts using digital tools that cause physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm. This form of abuse affects millions annually, with research indicating up to 60% of women globally experience such gendered abuse. TFGBV manifests in various ways, including:
- Doxing: Sharing personal information online, leading to stalking and physical violence.
- Deepfake abuse: Publishing manipulated images or videos to damage reputations.
- Sexual harassment and sextortion: Common forms of intimidation and coercion.
This violence infiltrates homes, workplaces, schools, and universities, often escalating from online to offline realms, sometimes resulting in extreme outcomes like femicide. Young women and girls, women with disabilities, women of colour, LGBTIQ+ individuals, and women in public roles such as politicians and journalists are particularly at risk.
Alarming Statistics and Regional Impacts
In Africa, internet access is growing exponentially, with over 70% of sub-Saharan Africa's population under 30. Young people, who are more frequent tech users, face higher rates of online violence. Digital violence against women and girls leads to devastating effects, including mental health issues, withdrawal from public life, physical attacks on LGBTQI+ individuals in homophobic regions, and femicide.
Pan-African research is limited, but a study across five sub-Saharan countries found that 28% of women had experienced online violence. With internet usage expanding—currently at 38% continent-wide, and only 31% among women—this number is expected to rise. National-level studies paint a grim picture of extreme violence and toxic online environments with real-life consequences.
Key findings from specific countries include:
- Ethiopia: Gendered abuse is so normalised online that women report no platform feels safe. Men face attacks for their opinions, while women endure misogynistic abuse related to appearance and societal roles, with threats often spilling into physical danger.
- Uganda: A 2021 survey revealed that 49% of women reported online harassment.
- South Africa: Research indicates exposure to harmful content makes men 2.6 times more likely to perpetrate violence and 1.8 times more likely to hold misogynistic views.
Women in politics, activists, journalists, and public figures are primary targets. A 2021 report on female parliamentarians in Africa found that 46% faced sexist online attacks, and 42% received threats of death, rape, or abduction via social media. In Kenya, online campaigns aim to spread fear and undermine women's credibility in elections, while in Tunisia, over 70% of political commentary involving women contained abusive language, often dehumanising them.
Legal Gaps and Calls for Reform
Globally, nearly 40% of women experience tech-facilitated violence, and 85% of online women witness or encounter abuse. Fewer than 40% of countries have laws protecting against cyber harassment or stalking, leaving 1.8 billion women and girls without legal protection. In Africa, about 17 countries have introduced cybercrime legislation, but most fail to address the gendered nature of abuse.
Ayesha Mago pointed to South Africa's Domestic Violence Amendment Act as a regional example, with provisions for courts to order the removal of abusive content. However, she warned that laws can sometimes be used oppressively against specific groups. The African Union Convention on Ending Violence against Women and Girls, introduced in 2024, includes digital violence but has been criticised as regressive by experts like Sibongile Ndashe, who argue it lacks clarity on state obligations and rights.
Need for Awareness and Platform Accountability
Beyond legislation, there is a critical need for increased awareness. Many people do not understand their rights online, and digital literacy is poor. Law enforcement often underestimates the real-world effects of online violence, and platforms frequently ignore local languages and cultural contexts. Mago emphasised that platforms must be held accountable for harm occurring on their sites, prioritising user safety over profit—a change she notes is not happening globally.
In summary, the surge in digital violence in Africa requires a multifaceted response: stronger laws explicitly addressing gendered abuse, better enforcement, enhanced digital literacy, and greater accountability from tech platforms to protect vulnerable populations from escalating online threats.
