When MN (not her real name), 32, reported a gang rape incident to the police, she claims she was asked to pay Sh8,000 for action to be taken against the alleged perpetrators.
Distraught, she says she withdrew her complaint, feeling betrayed by a system she had trusted to protect her.
MN says she met the man she accuses of assaulting her on Facebook.
“He seemed kind and would send me money for school fees and food, so when he asked me to meet him for lunch, I did not object,” she recounts.
“Unfortunately, he allegedly drugged me, and when I regained consciousness, I was in a hotel room naked, alongside two naked men. I felt intense pain, I believe they had raped me,” she says.
When she tried to question them, MN claims, they became violent and forced her into further sexual acts without her consent.
“They hit me so hard that my teeth broke. I screamed and begged, but they didn’t stop. I was terrified, humiliated, and powerless,” she recalls.
Another survivor, KY, says she turned to Facebook in search of work after facing financial hardship.
“I met a woman named Lena who promised me a part-time laundry job, and I agreed to meet her,” KY says.
Over time, the two became friends and would occasionally socialise. But during one outing, KY alleges, she was coerced into drinking alcohol and later sexually assaulted by people she considered friends.
MN and KY are among 20 survivors whose stories are featured in a new report by Equality Now, documenting experiences of sexual exploitation and abuse facilitated through online platforms.
The report, titled Experiencing Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Kenya: Survivor Narratives and Legal Responses, was released in partnership with KICTANet, HAART Kenya, Life Bloom Services International, and Trace Kenya.
It highlights how perpetrators exploit victims’ social and economic vulnerabilities through digital platforms such as social media, dating apps, and mobile money services.
Equality Now’s senior legal adviser on digital rights, Amanda Manyame, said that stigma and poverty continue to prevent many women from reporting cases of online sexual violence.
“Economic challenges have pushed many young women to online platforms to look for jobs, and unfortunately, this exposes them to predators,” she said.
Manyame added that fake job agencies on social platforms have lured victims with false promises, sometimes leading to cases of trafficking and sexual exploitation abroad.
The report further points to legal and enforcement gaps in addressing technology-facilitated sexual violence.
Cherie Oyier of KICTANet called for the enactment of specific legislation to combat online gender-based violence.
“Kenya has several sexual offences laws, but none conclusively addresses online and technology-facilitated abuse,” she noted.
Currently, eight laws provide partial protection against online sexual exploitation, including the Sexual Offences Act (2006), Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2018), Kenya Information and Communications Act (1998), Children’s Act (2022), Penal Code (Cap. 63), Data Protection Act (2019), and Evidence Act (Cap. 8).
Oyier also urged for greater awareness and political will to protect women online.
“When we went to Parliament to discuss women’s safety in digital spaces, few legislators showed interest. Only Senator Crystal Asige stayed through the entire session,” she said.
