Redouble efforts in fight against women violence online — lobby

Concerted efforts are needed to create a gender-sensitive digital space for women, the Association of Media Women in Kenya has said.  

Amwik programmes officer Lillian Museka said there is increased rate of online violence against women not only in Kenya, but across the East African region.

She said online violence had negatively affected women, with some getting into depression without any assistance, hence the need for the joint efforts against its fight.

Museka cited women in politics as an example of those who suffer more in hands of perpetrators of such violence.

“Amwik in partnership with Women@Web (DW) is implementing a project on advancing digital safety and security for Kenyan women political aspirants that seek to address challenges facing women aspirants in online spaces,” Museka said.

The programmes officer said the project was being implemented to seek men aspirants’ support for women’s digital safety.

Museka spoke during a regional advocacy campaign and commemoration of this year’s 16 days of Gender Activism conducted virtually on December 15. The meeting was hosted and moderated by Amwik from Nairobi, Kenya.

Fifteen journalists attended the Webinar meeting joined by various experts from Women@Web (DW) and Media Convergency from Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. Five journalists each from the three counties participated in the advocacy discussions.

Amwik, ABC and Media Convergency from Tanzania and Rwanda collaborated and produced a comic strip about online violence against women in East Africa as a case study used during the advocacy meeting.

“The comic strip uses a case study to tell a real life story and breaks down what online violence against women is, its characteristics, impacts on the victims and how to seek support,” Museka said.

It’s a story about a female actress, Samira, who experienced online violence.

Samira woke up one morning after the premier of her latest film feeling good after working on the project for long and its success.

She found herself trending online after someone posted that she was too fat hence needed to cut down. She was body shamed, got into depression, and locked herself inside her house until friends rescued her.

The actress said the comic strip launched during the meeting will be used for future reference and a sustainability measure.

Umutoni Natasha from Women@Web Rwanda said as an organisation were committed to advancing safe online spaces for women through digital literacy and skills training.

“The network comprises eight organisations from Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda,” Natasha said.

The comic strip breaks down online violence, some of its characteristics, impact on the victims, importance of having support systems that can help victims seek psychological support and therapy as well as seek justice.

Other panelists were Glory Iribagiza, a gender editor with the New Times, public policy and administration expert Beta Sarkuru and Flora Ndaba, the acting head of programme Activism and Movement Building organisation.

Iribagiza said violence against women was rampant across the region and people committed it as if there were no repercussions. 

“Perhaps they don’t know that it’s criminal and affects many people emotionally. I think as advocates and media institutions, we need to hold awareness campaigns on the matters perpetrators and victims,” she said.

Iribagiza said law enforcement agencies should also be sensitised since as much as perpetrators commit these crimes, they continue walking scot free.

“As much as this is a new concept used in violating women rights other than battery and everything, violence online isn’t taken seriously in the society,” she said.

"So, I think we need to learn how it’s bad, why it’s bad and how to stop it. I also think that as much as there are laws and policies in place, people who are supposed to enforce them also don’t understand.

“We need to campaign for people to understand that they don’t have to abuse others whether physically or online."

Ndaba said resource allocations were needed to conduct and sustain the campaigns.

“I would also urge on resource allocations in raising awareness on how to use these digital platforms, what are the pros and cons?" she said. 

“When you speak of online violence, you also need to talk about private sector that is investing in having these digital platforms. We can see many businessmen and women using these digital platforms as ways of gaining income and doing businesses in their day today activities.” 

Ndaba said most people were earning livelihoods from online engagements, adding that such populace needed to be sensitised on how to positively use online spaces and shun violence.

She said laws and policies on online violence against women and children should also be implemented in the region.

“We also need to have synergy and efforts like the platform we are having now. This is an East Africa platform. Cyber bullying, violence, impersonation keep on increasing on online space with most victims being women,” Ndaba said.

“Samira is a woman not from rural, but urban. She is wealthy and educated, empowered. But being online, she is exposed to online violence.”

Ndaba said more efforts should go into supporting women and children, who are victims of online violence, psychologically.

Sakuru said there was an illusion that online violence only comes from men while women were also perpetrators.

“We need an inclusive approach that will also include male gender perspectives influencers because they also have impact on social media violence,” she said.

“I call for community outreach through inclusive approach to engage wider scope to minimise effects of gender-based violence online.”

The experts said online violence against women leads to anxiety, ill - mental health, suicides, depression, rejection, low self-esteem, withdrawals and, at times, extend physically to rape.

The participants said that each of the individual countries have laws and policies on online gender based violence.

“People still don’t report GBV. So, it isn’t easy for them to report online violence. They take them lightly, some perpetrators also use pseudo accounts or impersonate while attacking women online, making it difficult for victims to report to relevant authorities,” Sakuru said.

They called for policies reforms, media involvement and regional integrations in fight against online violence.