16 Days of Activism Feature
By: Elsie Milimu
Surfacing the Kenyan Pain
Consider the story of Mama Mboga (vegetable vendor), a middle-aged woman residing in Laare, Meru County, Kenya who entrusted her private photos and videos to someone known to her, only for the photos and videos to be used for extortion and eventually circulated to the public via social media sites such as X and Telegram[1]. Instead of condemning the perpetrator, many online users were quick to blame her: “No grown up mature person will take photos of herself/ himself naked and save them in the phon…. that’s rubbish… stupidity and nonsense and there nothing to ask for forgiveness for…huyo ni mama ako na utoto na upuzi (she is a childish foolish mother) …[2]” retorted one social media user. Additionally, nearly 200 villagers of Laare threatened to lynch her before she was rescued by well-wishers. Online harassment and abuse is a lived reality for millions of women and girls such as Mama Mboga, which results in lifelong trauma and at times physical violence and femicide.
What is Technologically-facilitated Gender-based Violence (TFGBV)?
Online and digital spaces should empower women and girls. Yet every day, for millions of them, the digital world has become a minefield of harassment, abuse, and control. What starts small on a screen; a message, a comment, or a post can quickly spiral into a torrent of threats and real-world violence. Private photos are stolen without consent, lies spread within seconds, locations are tracked, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is weaponized to create deepfakes designed to shame and silence women.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNDP) defines technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) as an act of violence committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified in part or fully through the use of information and communication technologies or digital media, against a person on the basis of gender[3].
A Worldwide Struggle
Globally, 16–58% of women and girls face digital violence. 90-95% of deep fake videos are sexual images of women and girls[4]. Data from different regions confirm that technology-facilitated violence against women happens everywhere:
- Arab States: 60 per cent of women internet users have experienced online violence.
- Eastern Europe and Central Asia: research across 12 countries found that more than 50 per cent of women over 18 years old have experienced some form of technology-facilitated abuse in their lifetime.
- Sub-Saharan Africa: A study of five countries found that 28 per cent of women had experienced online violence.
- Europe and the USA: A survey of women aged 18 – 55 in Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA found that 23 per cent of women reported at least one experience of online abuse or harassment[5].
The Human Cost behind the numbers
Behind every statistic are real women and girls. Journalists who stop writing after death threats, activists who delete their accounts to protect their families, girls who lose confidence before they’ve even found their voices, women who are stalked, raped, or even killed. The harm may happen online, but its impact is painfully real, seeping into homes, workplaces, and communities. And it’s happening at a time when sweeping aid cuts are forcing women’s organizations around the world to shut down or drastically scale back programmes to end violence against women.
Misogynistic content in the manosphere is fueling the abuse and spreading disinformation and hate. When these toxic ideas go viral, they shape how entire generations see and treat women and girls. Inequality in access and power over technology also deepens the risks for some women and girls, especially those in rural and low-income communities[6].
Public Health and Socio-Economic Implications
Despite online abuse spreading at an alarming speed, nearly half of the world’s women and girls lack legal protection from online abuse[7]. The impacts of TFGBV are felt across societies. Survivors can suffer isolation, inability to study/work, loss of income, lack of participation in regular activities and decreased capacity to care for themselves and their children. TFGBV affects 1 in 3 women worldwide. It can affect survivors’ physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health. Children who are exposed to TFGBV are at heightened risk of developing behavioural and emotional setbacks[8].
TFGBV is often accompanied with victim blaming which revolves around actions that a victim could have taken (or not taken) to avoid experiencing abuse. In reality, violence and abuse including TFGBV will happen regardless of the victim’s choices. Victim blaming can cause serious harm to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence, leaving them feeling responsible for their abuser’s actions, therefore increasing feelings of shame and guilt. Whether intentional or unintentional, victim blaming can cause serious harm to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence, leaving them feeling responsible for their abuser’s actions, therefore increasing feelings of shame and guilt. When people speak or behave in a way that reinforces this feeling of self-blame, the impact of the abuse may be greater, leading to a longer recovery. Victim blaming invalidates survivors’ experiences, enhancing their feelings of isolation and self-doubt. It may also discourage a survivor from speaking up again or seeking any form of justice or support, through fear that they will not be believed[9].
Considerations for National Policy Reform and Practice
Kenya has an opportunity to engage in legal, policy and practical reforms on TFGBV as an emerging form of GBV. The recent enactment of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, 2025 has been surrounded by controversy, with concerns that the amendment is a knee-jerk reaction to unfavorable social media comments about the governments. It is important to recognize that the Act introduces several amendments to the original Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (Cap 79C), enacted in 2018. The Act has broadened the scope of cyber security to include aspects of TFGBV. Section 6 broadened the National Computer and Cybercrimes Coordination Committee’s authority to issue directives that make websites or applications inaccessible if they promote unlawful activities. This encompasses sites hosting inappropriate sexual content involving minors. Section 27, which concerns cyber harassment, is amended to cover situations where such harassment results in or is likely to cause a person to commit suicide. Section, 46A, is introduced and grants courts the authority to issue additional orders in cases involving offences such as inappropriate sexual content of minors[10].
Relevant government ministries and departments and CSOS all have a role towards the prevention and response to TFGBV. Some key areas for consideration include:
- Legal and policy reform to address the growing backlash against women’s rights via the rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the expansion of the manosphere – an ecosystem of misogynistic content that is seeping into mainstream culture, shaping public attitudes towards women, and fueling violence[11].
- Enhanced digital literacy to ensure that technology is designed with safety and privacy as core components.
- Raise awareness of this evolving form of violence to empower survivors and to advocate for increased accountability and regulation.
- Transform harmful social norms by promoting positive masculinity and challenging harmful and misogynistic narratives.
- Data and evidence – Conducting periodic research, documentation and dissemination on the prevalence and impacts of TFGBV. Kenya’s efforts to bolster the cybersecurity space has historically been centered on reports on cyber threat incidences and their fiscal implications by the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) as opposed to disaggregated figures on the exact threats including TFGBV.
- Hold public and private sectors including the tech industry accountable through establishing transparency and accountability standards on digital violence and the use of data across digital platforms, and prioritizing the prevention and elimination of digital violence, through human rights-based design approaches and adequate investments.
Conclusion
Kenya joins the rest of the world in becoming increasingly digital as evident by the Gen Z led national protests that were mobilized online. Conversely, we are witnessing a rise in the weaponization of digital platforms targeted towards women and girls. TFGBV has no geographical boundaries and infiltrates homes, schools and workplaces even though it began online, resulting in the most extreme form of violence; femicide. Beyond these 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25th November to 10th December 2025), let us UNITE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls. As a founding member of the Coalition against Sexual Violence[12], KELIN is committed to continued advocating for and demanding accountability towards the prevention and response to GBV including TFGBV.
[1] https://x.com/thenairobitimez/status/1982669932929446254?s=46
[2] https://x.com/muya_godfr56493/status/1983043232415056352?s=20
[3]https://www.unfpa.org/TFGBV#:~:text=Technology%2Dfacilitated%20gender%2Dbased%20violence%2C%20or%20TFGBV%2C%20is,are%20silenced%20and%20democracies%20suffer.
[4] https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/16-days-of-activism
[5] https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/faqs/digital-abuse-trolling-stalking-and-other-forms-of-technology-facilitated-violence-against-women
[6] https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/16-days-of-activism
[7]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slUnmSDBUrA&pp=ygUcaHR0cHM6Ly95b3V0dS5iZS9zbFVubVNEQlVyQQ%3D%3D
[8] https://www.emro.who.int/16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence/2025/index.html
[9] https://welshwomensaid.org.uk/news/understanding-victim-blaming-and-why-its-harmful-to-survivors/
[10] https://vellum.co.ke/understanding-the-computer-misuse-and-cybercrimes-amendment-act-2025/
[11] https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/a-79-500-sg-report-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-2024-infographic-and-recommendations-en.pdf
