The Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), in partnership with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Kenya, has launched a groundbreaking research report on technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (TFVAWG), calling for urgent legal, policy and institutional reforms to tackle the growing menace of online abuse in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The report, titled “The Digital Harm Effect: Confronting Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls in Africa: A Case Study of Nigeria and Kenya,” was unveiled in Abuja on Friday during a stakeholders’ engagement and capacity-strengthening programme for women’s rights organisations and feminist networks.
Supported by the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women (UNTF), the report documents the prevalence, patterns and impacts of digital violence against women and girls in Nigeria and Kenya, drawing from evidence gathered from 515 women surveyed across both countries.
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Research Lead and Editor of the report, said the misuse of digital platforms has created new channels for abuse, exposing women and girls to harassment, cyberstalking, image-based abuse, exploitation and other forms of online violence.
According to her, the findings revealed widespread stigma, underreporting and severe psychological consequences for survivors, with some victims contemplating suicide due to the trauma of online abuse.
“Through the research, we engaged a wide range of participants and discovered significant gaps, including widespread stigma and underreporting,” she said.
“The findings revealed that many young women face severe online threats, with some even contemplating suicide as a result of the abuse they experience.”
Akiyode-Afolabi disclosed that the research also uncovered cases of exploitation on some digital business platforms, particularly those providing small-scale financial support to women.
“We identified cases where certain online business platforms, particularly those offering small-scale financial support, often below ₦100,000, have exploited women using digital tools,” she added.
She said the broader project had reached over 2,000 people across Nigeria and Kenya, adding that WARDC and its partners would continue engaging lawmakers and policymakers to strengthen legal protections against digital violence.
In her remarks, Dr. Princess Olufemi-Kayode, Acting Executive Director of WARDC, stressed the importance of digital literacy and public awareness, particularly for women and girls navigating online spaces.
She called for stronger laws and adaptive policies to address emerging technological threats, including the misuse of artificial intelligence.
“Empowering women and girls includes educating them on privacy settings, responsible online behaviour, and digital etiquette—how to communicate and engage safely online,” she said.
“Artificial intelligence continues to evolve rapidly, and as it does, laws and policies must also evolve to effectively address emerging challenges associated with technological advancement.”
Also speaking, Dr. Adedayo Laniyi-Benjamins, Mandate Secretary of the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, said perpetrators of technology-enabled gender-based violence must be identified and held accountable.
“We must be able to identify perpetrators, call them out, and hold them accountable. Where threats arise, it is important to report to appropriate authorities,” she said.
Evelyn Ugbe, Executive Director of the Centre for Redefining Alternative Civic Engagement for Africa (RACE), warned that the growing use of artificial intelligence to manipulate images and videos is worsening trauma for survivors.
She noted that many young people have access to digital tools without understanding their ethical use.
“This highlights a growing concern that while young people have increasing access to technology, they often lack knowledge about its ethical use,” she said.
Ugbe disclosed that RACE is establishing digital safety clubs in schools to teach students and educators responsible technology use, while also running the Feminist Digital Watch, a support platform for survivors of online gender-based violence.
“The initiative aims to bridge gaps in access to mental health, legal and psychosocial support, while also creating platforms for collective advocacy, learning and empowerment,” she added.
WARDC said the report found that popular digital platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X have become major spaces where women and girls experience harassment and abuse.
It also identified major systemic failures in justice delivery, including poor digital forensic capacity among police officers, prosecutors unfamiliar with online abuse cases, and courts inadequately equipped to handle technology-facilitated harm.
The organisation noted that girls aged 15 to 24 remain particularly vulnerable, with incidents of young boys circulating nude photographs of female classmates in schools contributing to trauma, academic decline, social withdrawal and long-term shame among survivors.
WARDC said the report forms part of a broader movement-building initiative to strengthen feminist networks, demand accountability from institutions and tech platforms, and promote coordinated responses to digital violence.
Stakeholders at the event included women’s rights advocates, media practitioners, policymakers and civil society organisations who shared experiences and strategies for confronting the growing threat of online violence against women and girls across Africa.
WARDC urged governments, schools, digital platforms and communities to adopt survivor-centred and gender-sensitive measures to make digital spaces safer for women and girls.
