Weaponised AI: How online attacks are silencing Africa’s women leaders
While male politicians face criticism for their policies, their female counterparts are disproportionately targeted for their bodies, age, and morality.
What you need to know:
- The attacks are gendered by design. Rather than engaging with women's policies, leadership records, or political ideas, perpetrators of online abuse frequently target women's bodies, sexuality, age, morality, and family roles, they observed.
When a woman parliamentary aspirant in Nyeri County withdrew from an election race after a fabricated sex video was circulated online, the attack went beyond humiliating one individual. It was a calculated attempt to police women's participation in public life by weaponising gender stereotypes and technology, as documented in a 2025 briefing paper on online violence against women in politics in Kenya by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, in which she recounted her experience.
Her story mirrors a growing pattern across Africa, where women in politics are facing coordinated online attacks. In South Sudan, artificial intelligence (AI) was reportedly used to manipulate an image of a senior woman leader, digitally undressing her and placing her suggestively alongside a man. After the image spread online, she was dismissed from office.
The case was cited during a global seminar held on June 30, where media practitioners examined how journalism can strengthen women's and young people's participation in leadership and decision-making. Convened by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), UN Women, the Inter-Parliamentary Union , and United Cities and Local Governments, the meeting brought together journalists and democracy experts from around the world.
Participants from Namibia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, Malawi, and Zimbabwe described strikingly similar experiences. Women politicians are increasingly subjected to deepfakes, sexualised disinformation, coordinated harassment, and violent threats. In many cases, participants said, the sustained abuse has forced women leaders to withdraw from social media, limiting their ability to engage with citizens and participate fully in political life.
The attacks are gendered by design. Rather than engaging with women's policies, leadership records, or political ideas, perpetrators of online abuse frequently target women's bodies, sexuality, age, morality, and family roles, they observed. These attacks draw on deeply entrenched gender stereotypes to question women's legitimacy as leaders and discourage them from occupying public office. Male politicians, by contrast, are more likely to face criticism centred on their political decisions or performance rather than on their gender.
A 2022 analysis by the Gender Desk illustrates this disparity. On May 16, 2022, then Kitui Governor and NARC party leader Charity Ngilu posted on X (formerly Twitter): "I have joined @SalimSwaleh001 on @ntvkenya for a live discussion. Please tune in to join the conversation." Of the first 26 responses to her post, 13 were sexist or abusive. Some commenters dismissed her on the basis of her age, referring to her as a "grandmother," while others questioned her ability to contribute meaningfully to political discourse despite her role as a sitting governor and party leader.
A day earlier, then Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen responded to a television station's promotional post about his appearance with a simple message: "See you shortly." Thirty-two comments followed. Only one could be classified as online abuse, and it sought to damage his political reputation rather than attack him because he is a man.
Experts argue that online abuse aims to tarnish women's reputations and push them out of political life altogether by making the political arena so toxic that many are forced into silence or withdrawal.
For Rumbidzai Kandawasvika-Nhundu, principal adviser for Democracy and Inclusion at International IDEA, digital technologies have amplified long-standing patriarchal norms rather than creating new ones. "Technology has accelerated the speed, scale, and reach of abuse, but it reflects attitudes that already exist in society," she said. "It is not enough for women to be represented. Are they participating in decision-making? Are their voices being heard? We cannot have women as mere symbols of representation. Their presence must be felt and heard."
She warned that online violence is undermining democratic participation by forcing women to self-censor, withdraw from public debate, or abandon political careers altogether. "Now we have online violence against women, and it is forcing them to self-censor, step aside from leadership, or abandon politics entirely. This is reversing the gains we have made. It is eroding democratic legitimacy," she said.
Evidence suggests the strategy is working. A recent study by the IPU and the African Parliamentary Union found that 80 per cent of women legislators in Africa have experienced psychological violence linked to online attacks, while 42 per cent have received threats of death, rape, or abduction through digital platforms.
According to the 2025 IPU and UN Women map of women in politics, women's representation in parliaments has increased by only 0.3 percentage points to 27.2 per cent over the past year, while the proportion of women holding government positions has declined by 0.4 percentage points.
Kenya Women Parliamentary Association chairperson Leah Sankaire says online violence spills into offline intimidation, stalking, and exclusion. In her message on the Westminster Foundation for Democracy's briefing paper, she said the abuse carries profound democratic consequences. "For women leaders, the cost is both personal and political. It undermines confidence, limits participation, and erodes public trust in democracy itself," she said.
She said addressing the crisis requires cross-party solidarity and collective accountability. "Political parties, social media platforms, government agencies, and citizens all share a duty to make Kenya's political space safe for women's leadership," she said.
In Nepal, media organisations are beginning to rethink their role. Babita Basnet, Executive Director of the Media Advocacy Group, said they are encouraging media houses to employ dedicated social media moderators to protect women featured in their reporting. "The challenge is that, with AI, there are tonnes and tonnes of comments, making moderation extremely difficult," she said.
Participants also noted that the same AI driving sophisticated deepfakes could help detect and remove abusive content before it spreads widely. Pierre Carsana, a network facilitator at International IDEA, said AI-powered moderation tools can assist platforms and news organisations in identifying coordinated abuse and filtering gender-based attacks at scale. "AI can also be part of the solution. The key is identifying tools that can effectively moderate the vast volume of online comments and detect and remove content targeting women," he said.
