Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges for women’s rights in sub-Saharan Africa.  In 2022, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) adopted a landmark resolution to address these emerging forms of digital violence against women, yet recent developments suggest gaps in implementation, particularly in the effective monitoring and response to such violations. The growing threat of cyberstalking, the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, online harassment, and coordinated attacks against women in public life has left many victims across the continent feeling unsafe, silenced, and unprotected. While some have withdrawn from online spaces altogether, others have blocked perpetrators, and many more are suffering quietly. In most cases, victims are left carrying feelings of shame, fear, and loss of confidence, often with little protection from the law. 

Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Harm in Africa 

The rise of technology facilitated and Emerging AI harms affecting women and girls are increasingly documented across Africa. Analysts have reported that women and girls are increasingly being targeted through online extortion, romance scams, and image manipulation. Moreso, cybercriminal networks in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa have used AI-generated deepfakes to impersonate individuals, create fraudulent identities, and circulate manipulated images online. This has significant financial losses and reputational damage with far-reaching economic implications.  In 2024, INTERPOL’s “Operation Jackal III” targeting the Nigerian organized crime network called the Black Axe, resulted in the seizure of over $3 million in illicit assets. The operation highlighted the vast financial scale of transnational cybercrime, with such networks generating billions annually through scams, fraud, and global money-laundering schemes. These developments underscore the urgent need to strengthen legal protection systems in countries like Nigeria and the broader region, particularly as emerging AI and digital technologies increase the scale and sophistication of online harms that disproportionately affect women and girls. 

Furthermore, experts have warned that generative AI tools are creating new vectors for gender-based harm, including deepfake pornography and digitally manipulated abuse targeting marginalized groups. At the same time, major platforms’ AI moderation systems often struggle to detect harmful content in many African languages. For example, Facebook’s moderation systems failed to effectively identify harmful posts written in Amharic, Ethiopia’s main language, allowing incitement to violence and ethnic hate speech to circulate widely during the 2020-2022 Tigray conflict before being removed. Similarly, automated moderation tools frequently fail to detect abusive or harmful posts in Swahili, a language spoken by more than 150 million people across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These technological gaps significantly increase the vulnerability of women and girls to online abuse and harassment. 

Recent incidents in Kenya and Ghana, where a foreign visitor allegedly used AI-enabled glasses to record and share intimate images of women and girls secretly, underscore new patterns and emerging dynamics that policymakers must address. Interestingly, both Kenya and Ghana have laws addressing such abuses, yet these incidents still occur and are likely to recur, underscoring persistent gaps in enforcement, reporting mechanisms, and protections for women and girls. To address these evolving threats, policymakers in the region must adopt a multidimensional approach that combines legal reform, institutional capacity building, regional cooperation, and robust technology governance to ensure effective and timely responses to AI-enabled harms. 

Legal and Enforcement Gaps in Selected African Countries 

While most African countries have established laws to protect women from different forms of online harm, implementation often lags. For example, in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, and beyond, cybercrime, data protection, and other legal protections exist on paper but are poorly enforced. The Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act 2018  in Kenya criminalizes cyber harassment and unauthorized sharing of information. Yet Kenyan women, particularly journalists, politicians, and activists, continue to report widespread online abuse, including coordinated harassment campaigns and non-consensual circulation of images on social media platforms. 

Similarly, the South African Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) regulates how personal data is collected and processed. Although the POPIA establishes a legal framework governing the collection, processing, and sharing of personal data, major implementation and enforcement gaps exist. For instance, many institutions lack clear sector-specific guidance, adequate technical infrastructure, and trained personnel to ensure full compliance, particularly in managing sensitive health information.  

The cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 in Nigeria prohibits cyberstalking and online harassment. Despite the existence of this law, digital rights organizations in Nigeria, like other African countries, have documented persistent cases of online extortion, romance scams, and the circulation of manipulated images targeting women. Victims frequently report that complaints filed with law-enforcement agencies lead to slow investigations or no prosecution, reflecting gaps in enforcement capacity and digital forensic expertise.