Digital spaces unsafe for young girls and women, say activists

Women football teams at Kadongo ground on Tuesday / BRIAN OTIENO

Kisauni Social Justice Centre chairman Said Shaban at Kadongo ground on Tuesday / BRIAN OTIENO

The digital space has become an unsafe area for girls and women, who are increasingly falling victim to online predators.

The Kisauni Social Justice Centre has sounded an alarm over the increased attacks on girls and women in the digital space, calling for more protection for them.

Kisauni Social Justice Centre chairman Said Shaban said on Tuesday that online content has increasingly been misused and pornographic materials are being circulated with reckless abandon.

“This affects our young people who are increasingly hooked to their phones, watching unregulated content that messes up their minds,” he said.

Shaban spoke at Kadongo ground in Mjambere ward, Kisauni constituency, during a four-team football tournament that they want to use to spread the anti-pornographic message on the first of the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-based Violence

He said the time has come for stakeholders to come up with ways in which they can work together and stop the unregulated content from messing up with young people’s minds.

Shaban said with job scarcity and idleness witnessed around, young people are easily lured into immoral vices online.

“Because of unemployment and idleness, these young people, especially the girls, are easily sold to the idea of selling themselves to make money," he said.

“At first, they are lured into exposing their private parts online, which they think is safe for them. But slowly they are recruited into the hard stuff where they go physical now.” 

The Kisauni Social Justice Centre chairperson said poverty is the main factor that pushes the young girls into selling their bodies.

“After finishing Standard 8, Form 4, college and university, they mostly find themselves with no jobs. They then turn to these dubious means of getting money, mostly out of desperation and frustration,” Shaban said.

He said the requirement of at least three years’ experience when looking for jobs also pushes young people into extreme measures.

“You have just left college or university and when you seek for a job everyone wants you to have five years’ experience. Where will you get this experience? That frustration pushes young people to extreme measures,” Shaban said.

Alfama Nduta, an activist at the Kisauni Social Justice Centre, said young girls have a voice in the digital spaces but they do not realise it.

She said there are avenues in the digital spaces through which girls and women can report violence or threats against them.

“The more we, as women, speak up, the more help we get. Let us not fear speaking up and speaking out. We have to be brave enough,” Nduta said.

She said there are many safe spaces through which girls and women can have candid talks.

“Let us speak. That is the main thing,” Nduta said.

Tetea Jamii Social Justice CBO executive director Lilan Wambui said for a long time, young women have been victims of social media predators even without themselves realising it.

She said most victims also did not know how to go about their situations.

“I am happy we are more knowledgeable today about our rights and we know where to report whenever these rights are violated,” Wambui said.

She said the advent of social media has come with advantages and disadvantages.

She urged young women to know their worth.

“Your dignity matters a lot. When you are enjoying yourself you may be alone, but you represent all women, mothers, sisters and daughters across the globe,” Wambui said.

She said digital harassment and exposure has made many commit suicide.

“This is what we want to prevent,” Wambui said.

She urged parents to be extra-vigilant with their children and be able to monitor what they do on social media.

“You can work with tools like Google Parenting to monitor what your sons and daughters are doing in social media,” Wambui said.

Instant Analysis:

Digital spaces present significant dangers for young women through various forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence that can cause severe psychological, social, and physical harm, often driving them to self-censor or withdraw from online participation entirely.