WARDC, partners want actions on digital violence against women, girls

The Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) and partners have called for strengthening of actionable efforts to tackle online and other forms of digital abuse against women and girls.

They made the call yesterday in Abuja at a sub-Saharan Africa stakeholders training and launch of the Exploratory Research Report on Technology Facilitated Violence against Women and Girls (TFVAWG) in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The 68-page research report was, titled, “The Digital Harm Effect: Confronting Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls in Africa: A Case Study of Nigeria and Kenya”.

The programme was organised by WARDC, in partnership with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Kenya, and supported by the United Nations Trust Fund (UNTF), UN Women and European Union.

Speaking at the event, the research lead and editor of the report, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, noted the increasing misuse of digital platforms to perpetrate abuse across Sub-Saharan Africa, especially against among women and girls.

According to her, the report highlighted the prevalence, forms, and far-reaching impacts of technology-enabled violence across the region.

She also noted the prevalence, patterns, and far-reaching impacts of online harassment, cyberstalking, image-based abuse, and other forms of digital violence targeting women and girls in the region.

She said the project has reached and positively impacted over 2,000 people across Nigeria and Kenya.

“Through the research, we engaged a wide range of participants and discovered significant gaps, including widespread stigma and underreporting. The findings revealed that many young women face severe online threats, with some even contemplating suicide as a result of the abuse they experience.

“We also identified cases where certain online business platforms, particularly those offering small-scale financial support, often below N100,000, have exploited women using digital tools,” Akiyode-Afolabi said.

Earlier, acting executive director, WARDC, Dr. Princess Olufemi-Kayode, stressed the need to educate the public, especially women and girls, on safe online and digital spaces navigation.

She also called for the establishment of laws and policies to effectively address emerging challenges associated with technological advancement, such as AI.

“Empowering women and girls, includes educating them on privacy settings, responsible online behaviour, and digital etiquette in communicating and engaging safely online. 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,” Olufemi-Kayode said.

She noted that the launched report highlights the various forms of technology-enabled violence experienced by women and girls across the sub-region, as well as its far-reaching impacts.

She said, “This event is part of WARDC Africa’s UNTF-supported project titled “Strengthening Inter-generational Movements/Networks to Demand Accountability, Combat Technology-Facilitated Violence, and Other New Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

The training and launch of the research report is for the diverse group of stakeholders, including seasoned and emerging women’s rights advocates and media, to exchange experiences, share strategies, and highlight successful approaches to addressing the growing challenge of TFVAWG.

She said that this also provide a platform for documenting lessons learned and promoting collaborative action across generations.

Also, executive director, Centre for Redefining Alternative Civic Engagement for Africa (RACE), Evelyn Ugbe, noted the trend of using AI to manipulate images and videos.

She said that the trend had added to mental and psychological trauma for survivors of Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women and Girls (TFVAW/G) without access to psychosocial support.

“This highlights a growing concern that while young people have increasing access to technology, they often lack knowledge about its ethical use,” Ms Ugbe said.

She said that the RACE Centre is working to establish digital safety clubs in schools to equip both educators and students with the skills to use technology responsibly.

She said the centre also established the Feminist Digital Watch, a safe space 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 said.

She added that the book is part of a broader project aimed at strengthening inter-generational movements to demand accountability, combat emerging digital threats, and promote coordinated action among women’s rights groups.

On her part, the Mandate Secretary, FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Hon. Adedayo Laniyi-Benjamins, stressed the need to ensure that technology-driven, technology-enabled gender-based violence is directly challenged, both in terms of perception and in the delivery of justice.

“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. We lose lives -not always physically, but in dignity, potential, and purpose.

“We weaken mental health, fracture communities, and disrupt generational continuity. We allow violence and systemic neglect to define the future we claim to be building. Violence -particularly self-directed and systemic forms of harm- is not a solution. It is a destroyer of careers, a destabilizer of mental well-being, and a breakdown of the very networks meant to sustain us,” she said.

She also said that the efforts of WARDC, European Union, the United Nations Trust Fund, and the 13 collaborating organizations whose commitment has made the work possible, is not just in a project, as it is in people, in communities, and in the architecture of a more just and resilient society.