Digital violence against women and girls is rapidly increasing and remains largely unregulated. Each day, women and girls use the internet to work, learn and connect, yet many face attacks. Online harassment, stalking and trolling threaten their safety, livelihoods and freedom. As we mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the global message must be clear and unified: it is essential to end digital violence against all women and girls
While this crisis is global, the risks in Kenya are particularly significant. A 2022 report by the Association of Media Women in Kenya found that 57 per cent of women journalists experienced online harassment, often from coordinated groups combining misogyny and political intimidation.
Women activists have also been targeted with disinformation intended to silence dissent. These actions cause personal trauma and discourage women’s participation in public life, including politics, media and community leadership.
Over the past year, there have been several cases where intimate photos were shared without consent, revenge videos were circulated and women were publicly humiliated through images on social media. Even when platforms removed some of this content, the damage continued. Many offenders stayed anonymous and because of weak cybercrime enforcement, the perpetrators did not face any consequences.
Digital spaces have become battlegrounds, reflecting and amplifying existing power imbalances and impunity faced by women offline. This often occurs through algorithms and the cover of anonymity. Women are specifically targeted with sexualised disinformation and hate speech designed to exclude them from civic spaces.
This is not an accident, but the result of systems and institutions that have not prioritised women's safety and are resistant to change. Many have treated women's safety primarily as a public relations issue. These institutions profit from the outrage economy and rely on vague "community standards". The same algorithms that spread disinformation and hate also keep abusers invisible. The technology sector must embed safety-by-design principles into every platform.
However, technology alone cannot address issues that require policy intervention. Kenya’s Sexual Offences Act of 2006 should be updated to explicitly address emerging forms of digital gender-based violence, including trolling, non-consensual sharing of intimate images and sexualised deepfakes. These updates are necessary to provide survivors with legal recourse and ensure perpetrators are held accountable.
This also aligns squarely with Kenya’s obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which compels states parties to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination and violence against women in all spheres, including digital spaces.
Governments must pass and enforce robust cybercrime and digital safety laws that recognise gendered online abuse as a criminal offence and work closely with civil society to ensure these laws are inclusive, intersectional and rights-based, not tools for censorship or control.
And the rest of the users and bystanders also have a responsibility. Dismissing harassment as “just trolling”, sharing humiliating content or ignoring abuse contributes to the problem. Ending digital violence requires transforming technology to promote equality. The internet should amplify women’s voices and support their participation.
Policymakers and tech leaders must recognise that online safety is a policy choice. Regulation, design, and accountability can end the epidemic of digital violence. Because every woman and girl, everywhere, deserves to be safe, seen and heard in every space she chooses to exist.
Human rights advocate and a communications consultant at The Legal Caravan
