Online violence and abuse against female politicians has contributed significantly to silencing young women’s voices and undermining women’s engagement in political decision making. The digital dimension of gender-based violence undermines democracy as it violates women’s human rights and hinders the full realization of gender equality.
Speaking during the recent Young Women’s Leadership Summit held in Nairobi, Namibia’s Deputy Minister of Information Communication & Technology (ICT), Emma Theofelus stated that online attacks against female politicians are an attempt to undermine women’s political engagement therefore undermining democracy itself.
She acknowledged that Namibia is in the process of drafting cyber security legislation and is also among the ten (10) African countries that have ratified the African Union Convention on Cyber security and Personal Data Protection. It is essential for more African countries to ratify and implement legal instruments that combat online gender-based violence. These instruments provide important indications on member states’ obligations to protect women from digital manifestations of violence.
Parliamentary statistics across Africa show that women constitute only 23.6% of parliamentarians. Rwanda is the only country to have surpassed the 50% mark with 61% women in its current parliament. South Africa follows at 46%, Tanzania stands at 36%, Uganda at 33.8%, South Sudan 22%, Kenya 21% and Democratic Republic of Congo is at 12.8%. There is need for political parties to adhere to constitutional clauses mandating women’s participation in politics and leadership.
Through the discussions during the summit, it was noted that online violence is sometimes partially addressed through specific lenses such as focusing on certain forms of digital violence without specifically recognizing and sanctioning the online harm against young women and women. It is important that legal provisions specifically address violence of women and girls in all areas of life, while capturing the social, economic and psychological harm.
Attacks against women and girls in the digital world often remain underreported and underestimated hence the challenges towards access to justice. The first step towards addressing online violence against young women and women is to recognize that online violence and abuse is a valid demonstration of gender-based violence which cripples gender equality and democracy in society. It is important to have awareness of the scope of the problem. This will enable law enforcement authorities and other actors to effectively identify cases of online abuse to enable systematic and comprehensive action against online gender-based violence.
AWLF Regional Coordinator, Glanis Changachirere noted that women’s participation in democratic processes is central to the attainment of democracy in Africa. A survey conducted by AWLF in 2020 to establish the status of young women’s political participation revealed that there are institutional barriers among member states and their respective political parties that structurally marginalize young women from participating in decision making and politics. It is therefore important that national human right structures and institutions protect women, investigate online violence against women and hold those responsible accountable. This can be done through effective training and specialist support services of law enforcement agencies. There is also need for accessible, safe and specialized mechanisms to enable women to report online abuse and facilitate removal of harmful content.
A delegate from Zambia, Doreen Kabwe noted that online abuse against young women and women who aspire to participant in elections at different levels is very rampant and implementation of human rights standards to ensure the safety of women against gender-based violence is lacking. She noted that education and raising awareness among the young generation is key in ensuring internet security. This will create awareness about their rights, the dangers in the digital space and the available redress options.
In Kenya, there is a general lack of awareness on existing legislation and reporting mechanisms hence low reporting of online violence to national authorities. There is also a lack of adequately trained digital forensic staff as well as digital forensic equipment. There was a call to unite forces and coordinate work with private actors who are driving cyber technologies. This will facilitate quick and innovative approaches to actively address the digital aspect of violence against women as the digital space quickly evolves.
The summit called upon young women to remain vigilant to the different types of behaviors and acts of violence that have emerged or are yet to emerge in the digital sphere. We can achieve more if we work together to amplify our campaign against online gender-based violence.