Tech-fuelled violence: Why women are unsafe in digital spaces and struggle silently with scars
The triggers of technology-facilitated gender-based violence range from personal conflicts and revenge to the perceived anonymity of online interactions, a study shows.
What you need to know:
- Across Kenya and Nigeria, women face harassment, revenge porn, and cyberbullying, yet 80 per cent of survivors do not report their cases due to shame, fear, and mistrust of authorities.
- Studies show nearly 60 per cent of Kenyan women have endured online abuse, with young women, activists, and marginalised groups most affected by tech-driven gender-based violence.
Eight years ago, a 27-year-old woman died by suicide after being bullied online while seeking justice for her three-year-old daughter, who had allegedly been defiled by her ex-boyfriend.
The woman, identified as Brenda Akinyi, had reported the case at Kinoo Police Station. When no action was taken, she turned to Facebook for help. Instead of receiving support, she was bullied, which tormented her further. Unable to cope, Brenda threw herself in front of an oncoming vehicle on Waiyaki Way and died.
Queentah Wambulwa faced a similar ordeal in 2018 when she woke up to find her nude pictures circulating widely online. Her estranged boyfriend had allegedly published her private photos and videos on their village Facebook and WhatsApp groups—images she had shared with him during their long-distance relationship.
“This realisation was devastating. I felt deeply ashamed and crushed that I had let myself and everyone around me down. The guilt, anxiety, and worry overwhelmed me as the images spread across Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and local blogs. I didn’t know where to turn for help and even contemplated suicide just to end the pain,” she tells the Nation.
Because the group members included friends, relatives, and neighbours from her village, it did not take long before the photos reached her parents. The ordeal drove her into depression. She turned to alcohol and drugs to numb her pain, and things worsened until she was admitted to Kenyatta National Hospital for psychiatric treatment.
“It took the hand of God for me to recover. Through the help of counsellors, I healed and overcame the traumatising experience. As a result, I decided to become a mental health and wellness advocate at my university and beyond,” she says.
Queentah attributes the release of her intimate images to what is commonly referred to in technology circles as revenge porn, usually shared by a jilted lover. She says her case took this dramatic turn after she ended her relationship.
In Nigeria, Oby Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education and 2019 presidential candidate, has regularly been subjected to waves of digital attacks from bots, trolls, and partisan agitators eager to silence her. These cases are just the tip of the iceberg of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, which has become one of the most pervasive and rapidly evolving threats to their dignity and safety in Africa and beyond.
Despite its prevalence, a new survey released by Fida-Kenya, in conjunction with the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre and supported by the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, shows that 80 per cent of survivors of such violence do not report their ordeals to the police or other authorities.
Survey
The Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls survey in Kenya and Nigeria indicates that underreporting in Kenya is driven by minimisation and the silence imposed by shame. About 31.5 per cent of respondents said the abuse was “not serious enough” to warrant action, 21.5 per cent were unsure where to report, and 19.7 per cent did not trust the authorities. Survivors also cited fear of retaliation (11.1 per cent) and embarrassment (15.7 per cent) as reasons for their silence.
Only 29.6 per cent of respondents were aware of helplines or government services, while 28.2 per cent knew about counselling services. Nearly 46.8 per cent reported being unaware of any support systems, highlighting a major gap in outreach and public education.
During a media briefing in Nairobi, Jane Anyango, the Deputy Executive Director at Fida-Kenya, stressed the need for concerted efforts to end the problem. She noted that no human being is immune to this form of violence, making collective action vital.
“A lot of work needs to go into policy and legislation to ensure women and girls are safe from this menace. Duty bearers must ensure this happens,” she said.
Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the founder of WARDC, described tech-driven violence as an emerging form of gender-based violence that disproportionately targets women and girls. “It violates women’s rights and dignity. A lot of awareness creation is urgently needed to ensure women and girls are safe online. We must create a world where women and girls can live free from abuse, violence, fear, and exploitation—a world where they can make their own choices, exercise their rights, and reach their full potential,” she said.
In Kenya, studies indicate that nearly 60 per cent of women have experienced online violence, mostly on social media. About 63 per cent of online GBV occurs in urban areas. The studies also show that 76 per cent of survivors were under 40, and 47 per cent came from marginalised groups such as women living with disabilities.
According to the survey, the story is the same across Kenya and Nigeria. The digital revolution has opened new frontiers for women and girls, but it has also created new sites of violence where patriarchal control, misogyny, and systemic neglect thrive. The internet, once imagined as a liberating space, has become another battleground where women’s voices are silenced, their dignity attacked, and their safety constantly negotiated.
In Kenya, almost every woman involved in the study had encountered some form of technology-facilitated abuse, including psychological harassment, surveillance, sexual exploitation, or economic control.
The ubiquity of smartphones, while empowering, has also expanded the terrain of risk. Legal frameworks such as the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2018) exist but remain gender-blind, failing to address the lived realities of this form of violence. Survivors remain trapped in stigma, inadequate institutional response, and limited support services.
In Nigeria, the spread of mobile technologies and social media platforms has widened access while multiplying exposure to violence. From WhatsApp group harassment to the non-consensual circulation of intimate images, survivors report an ecosystem of abuse thriving in anonymity and silence.
Low digital literacy, gaps in cyber legislation, and justice systems slow to recognise online abuse as “real violence” leave survivors without protection. Young women, activists, and journalists are particularly vulnerable, as perpetrators exploit both weak laws and entrenched cultures of stigma and victim-blaming.
