Digital Safety Archives – Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

31Jan

African Women’s Digital Safety: From Resolution to Reality

CIPESA January 31, 2025February 11, 2025

Edrine Wanyama |

Amplifying the Resolution on the Protection of Women Against Digital Violence in Africa: Towards Meaningful Actions by States

Two and a half years after the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) adopted the Resolution on the Protection of Women Against Digital Violence in Africa, its implementation remains a pipe dream. With Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) continuing to proliferate across the continent, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is challenging African governments to use the occasion of International Women’s Day to commit to taking legislative and practical measures to implement this pivotal resolution.

ACHPR/Res. 522 (LXXII) 2022 is important as it offers ground breaking approaches to addressing digital violence against women on the African continent. While the digital realm should be a space of innovation and empowerment, it has become a battleground where women face harassment, intimidation, and violence. The non-consensual sharing of intimate images, sexist hate speech, misogynistic disinformation campaigns, cyberstalking, cyber bullying, cyber flashing, unsolicited sexually explicit content, doxing, deep fakes, trolling and mansplaining have steadily increased and contributed to a growing digital gender divide in Africa.

This digital gender divide further exacerbates existing inequalities and hinders progress towards achieving gender equality in the region, stripping girls and women of their voices and hindering meaningful participation in online discourse. The inequalities also hinder the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 5 that, among others, aims to advance gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls as a prerequisite for development.

Given the snail-speed implementation of the 2022 Resolution, in 2024 the Commission adopted another resolution, ACHPR/Res.591 (LXXX) 2024, which mandates the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa to undertake a study on the causes, manifestations, and impacts of digital violence against women in Africa. It also aims to further the development of comprehensive norms and standards to assist countries in addressing TFGBV.

This Resolution underscores the need to fulfill Article 9 of the African Charter on free expression and access to information, and Article 4 of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa on the rights to life, integrity and security of the person of the woman.

According to CIPESA’s Programme Manager, Ashnah Kalemera, governments are not to be reminded of their obligations with regards to gender equity online but should take all the necessary measures and “accelerate actions including adopting appropriate laws to address TFGBV.”

While TFGBV has become a major global challenge, many approaches adopted to tackle it on the continent either fall short of the capability to hold those responsible for rights violations accountable, or focus on curtailing the digital civic spaces. For example, electoral periods such as in Uganda have witnessed multiple reports of targeted online violence against women, with some existing laws on cybercrime often targeting the female victims and not the perpetrators of gender-based violence online.

In a recent report on Kenya, almost 90% of young adults enrolled in tertiary institutions in the country’s capital Nairobi have reportedly suffered gender-based violence in online spaces, with 39% having experienced the harms personally. These harms, according to the study, are more pronounced amongst females (64.4%) in comparison to males (35.5%). Meanwhile, sexism and sexualisation of content such as in Zimbabwe and Uganda, attacks on female journalists in Ghana, Namibia and Tanzania, the harassment of female journalists in South Africa and against women in politics in Kenya continually undermined their political and public affairs.

Guided by this year’s theme, Accelerate Actions to commemorate International Women’s Day, CIPESA calls on African governments to undertake the following actions to implement Resolution ACHPR/Res. 522 (LXXII) 2022.

Adopt Gender-Sensitive Legal and Policy Frameworks

Adoption of gender-sensitive legal and policy frameworks is critical to provide the legal basis for addressing TFGBV. States, technology companies including social media platforms, media and news organisations, and other stakeholders should recognise online violence from a gender lens, enact laws and policies that employ gender-balanced language, criminalise all forms of online violence and prioritise the digital safety of women and girls.

Evidence-Based Research for Gendered Actions

Evidence-based research is crucial for innovation and development of effective gendered actions to inform targeted interventions, policies, and programs that aim to combat online violence. Data that establishes the nature, prevalence, extent and the risk factors of TFGBV and the impact it poses should be collected and analysed by states alongside other stakeholders like CSOs. Such studies can be the foundational basis for identifying and addressing the root causes of the violence for more effective gendered actions against the vice.

Capacity Building and Awareness Raising

In line with the resolution, there is a need for capacity building and awareness raising in addressing TFGBV. Capacity building and awareness raising through various fora such as the media has the capacity to empower governments, individuals, communities, and institutions to understand, prevent, and respond to violence against women. Programmes such as digital literacy, advocacy interventions, community and network-led education, and capacitating law enforcement officers, the judiciary and other institutions will contribute to the wider goal of addressing online violence targeting women. Specific efforts in privacy awareness, online safety and digital hygiene will contribute to the creation of safer spaces for women who are disproportionately targeted by online violence.

Cooperation with Stakeholders including CSOs and Service Providers

The Resolution calls for cooperation of states with stakeholders including CSOs and service providers to end TFGBV. Collaboration amongst these players can help to combat TFGBV. CSOs can continually play the watchdog role of outreach and monitoring state efforts and activities. Service providers should engage in promoting responsibility over content and enhance accountability over the use of the online spaces and platforms. Similarly, there should be joint efforts to end violence against women such as through information sharing, capacity building, conducting joint campaigns and employing policy advocacy and tech solutions such as use of technology tools to track and investigate suspected cases of violence against women.

Protection and Support for Victims

The effects of violence in any form can be devastating. The devastating effects call for mitigation of the harm caused and empowering of survivors to heal and seek justice. States need to adopt comprehensive approaches which facilitate mitigation of harms including taking appropriate action for immediate support and providing safe spaces for survivors, safety planning and documentation of evidence. Similarly, clear mechanisms for reporting and redress including law enforcement and legal assistance for survivors can go a long way in victim support. Psychological and emotional support and providing self-care resources are also key. Additionally, digital security and privacy support, community support and advocacy such as awareness raising, provision of specialised services such as trauma-informed care and culturally sensitive services, and education including digital literacy programmes and public awareness aimed at enhancing preventive measures are important strategies for combating TFGBV.

Buttressing Prevention Measures

The ACHPR/Res. 522 (LXXII) 2022 enlists a number of actions which African Union Member States should undertake. If undertaken, these actions could check on tech-enabled violence against women. They could also be the basis upon which equality in the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms in the online space can be achieved. By strengthening prevention measures, a society that is pro-rights and freedoms that ensures a safe and inclusive space for empowering women and girls will be attained. Thus, individuals, groups, and communities through buttressed approaches will be equipped with knowledge, tools and skills to prevent, respond to and combat online violence.

Conclusively, the ACHPR/Res. 522 (LXXII) 2022 is a step forward in the fight against gender discrimination and women targeted violence in the online spaces. It sets a powerful benchmark for dealing with and addressing TFGBV. Its multi-faceted approach of bringing various stakeholders including governments, civil society, and the private sector together and, dealing with the issues in a comprehensive manner especially by states, provides a progressive roadmap for creating a safer and more inclusive online environment for women across Africa.

03Oct

Forum Sparks Debate on Internet Freedom in Africa

admin October 3, 2015

By Juliet Nanfuka |
The recently concluded two-day Forum on Internet Freedom in East Africa 2015 sparked debate on the many facets of internet freedom, including access to information, digital safety, media freedom, online violence against women, regulation of the internet, freedom of expression online, and the online economy.
The first day of the Forum coincided with the internationally celebrated Right to Know Day (September 28) and also served as a platform to recognise the tenth anniversary of the Access to Information Act in the host country, Uganda.
The Forum, organised by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) under the OpenNet Africa initiative, brought together just under 200 participants, a dramatic increment from the 85 who participated at last year’s inaugural Forum. Participants represented a wide spectrum of stakeholders including communications regulators, civil society, intermediaries, private sector, tech enthusiasts, artists, media and ordinary citizens. It was supported by the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), Hivos, Ford Foundation, Open Technology Fund, UNESCO and Web We Want.
According to the ITU, there are currently 3.2 billion people using the internet of which, by end 2015, two billion will come from developing countries. There is therefore a need to create awareness and to advocate for internet rights in developing countries that are registering a dramatic uptake of the internet.
The African Declaration on Human Rights has set the foundation upon which human rights standards and principles of openness in internet policy formulation can be developed in Africa. While various policies and laws have been developed in the continent’s 54 countries, many contradict the rights to privacy, access to information, data security, and freedom of expression.
In his opening remarks at the Forum, Jaco du Toit, Communication and Information Adviser at the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, pointed to growing concerns over the mechanisms used by governments in the region to monitor citizen’s activities both online and offline. These concerns threaten legitimate online interactions including by the media that plays the role of society’s watchdog, and by critical citizens with large online footprints and human rights organisations that rely on information to encourage civic participation and good governance.
The use of ICT tools by citizens to exercise their right to free expression and as an engine for development is widely recognised especially as the push for open data gains momentum across the African continent. However, recognition of internet rights in the same breath as the rights guaranteed offline by national constitution remains a grey area.
Internet Freedom in East Africa
The forum served as the launch of the State of Internet Freedom in East Africa 2015 report on access, privacy and security online in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The report is the result of qualitative and quantitative research conducted in the focus countries between May 2014 and August 2015.
The report highlights legal developments related to internet freedom in each of the focus countries such as the May 2015 ruling by the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) against the Burundi Press Law of 2013, on the grounds that some sections went against the principles of press freedom. This marked a victory for the Burundi Journalists Union who had petitioned the court over the repressive law. In Kenya, the Security Laws (Amendment) Act was signed into law despite concerns over its expansion of the surveillance capabilities of the Kenyan intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
In Tanzania, the controversial Cybercrimes Act and the Statistics Act were both passed in 2015 notwithstanding protests due to the restrictions they place on advancing transparency and access to information.
Progressive public access developments are also reported such as the Smart Kigali initiative which provides wireless internet service on select public transport buses. The Ministry of ICT in Rwanda also launched the “Stay Safe Online” campaign aimed at promoting awareness on cyber security.
The report also presents some of the violations of internet freedom that were registered in East Africa over the last year.
Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions on Internet Freedom
The report found that understanding of what constitutes internet freedom among the region’s citizens is varied. The majority associated internet freedom with the ability to utilise the internet free of unwarranted state regulations or commercial restrictions.
Online safety practice was low with only 48% of the respondents using digital safety and security tools to safeguard themselves online. A lack of awareness of security risks on digital platforms and shortage of skills to secure communications were among the reasons for not actively utilising online safety tools.
The report further found widespread perception among East Africans of government surveillance even where there was limited evidence remain prevalent of actual surveillance. Respondents cited national security, countering terrorism, and combating hate speech as key reasons for government surveillance.
Discussion Echoes Report Findings
Discussions in the 13 sessions at the forum repeatedly pointed out contradictory or non-existent laws to protect users especially in instances where critical content in writing, or creative and performing arts have led to arrests. This in turn has contributed to self-censorship by independent content producers and media.
Further, victims of online violence against women (VAW) do not have any legal structures to ensure their rights are upheld; instead, many are castigated more than the perpetrators of the violence. Limited legal provisions on the vice have thus led to a culture of silence and misinformation which in turn impacts upon reporting of cases to indicate the extent and actual statistics of VAW in African countries.
Discussions at the forum echoed insights gathered in the report, including the friction between control of content which impacts upon freedom of expression and regulation of the internet so as to combat hate speech and terrorism, and to maintain national security and public order.
“Ignorance of the law is not an excuse,” said Irene Kaggwa, Head of Research and Development at the Uganda Communication Commission on the need for responsible use of the internet. Jimmy Haguma, Acting Commissioner with Uganda Police’s Cybercrimes unit, , added that “freedom without control” would contradict certain needs, such as ensuring child online safety and protection from theft and fraud.
The challenges involved with ensuring that the internet is a safe space for genuine interaction were summarised by Facebook’s head of Public Policy for Africa, Ebele Okobi, who noted that “If Facebook were a country, it would be the biggest country in the world.” She added that the global platform faces a challenge of how to apply the laws of every country in which it has users in its policy on online content.
Underpinning all discussions at the forum was the use of social media and the need for users to build their digital security capacities as the online arena increasingly becomes the key avenue for social interaction. However, legislation in many countries has not moved fast enough to ensure the protection of users who fall victim to online abuse and violence.
In his closing remarks, Vincent Bagiire, Chair of the ICT Committee, Parliament of Uganda, emphasised the necessity for further engagement on internet freedom not only by civil society but with a more inclusive multi-stakeholder approach which works towards ensuring a free and open internet. He stated that this responsibility exists first at the national level, “but given the borderless, global nature of the internet”, it is also very much a global issue. “Internet freedom is both a domestic and a foreign policy subject,” he said.
The Forum had representation from 19 countries including Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, Zambia, Zimbabwe
For more details, visit the Forum on Internet Freedom in East Africa 2015 page, See the full programme and the speaker biographies.

23Jul

CIPESA Promotes Digital Safety Awareness and Skills for Media Practitioners in Kenya

admin July 23, 2015

By Marilyn Vernon & Liz Orembo |
Threats to citizens’ access to information, privacy, security and freedom of expression online are increasingly coming under scrutiny in East Africa. According to the World Press Freedom Index, Kenya who was ranked number 71 out of 180 countries in 2013, dropped 29 places to number 100 in 2014. Meanwhile, cybercrime is also on the rise in the country. The Kenya Cyber Security Report 2014 shows a 108% increase in detected cyber threat incidents, from 2.6 million attacks in 2012 to 5.4 million in 2013.
The Cyber Security Report attributes the surge in criminal activity to the increasing value of information and the lower risk of detection and capture. Businesses and individuals are susceptible to threats stemming from spyware, social media, unsecured email, and theft of mobile computing devices.
Kenya’s ranking in the World Press Index reflects the deteriorating relationship between the media and the state. The steady decline is partly attributed to the passing of prohibitive legislation, most notably the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Act and the Media Council Act of 2013, which subjects violators to heavy fines and asserts undue state control over media practice.
A few journalists in Kenya have boldly reported on sensitive topics at the risk of imprisonment or financial penalties. Reported cases of assassination, disappearance, destruction of property, confiscation of equipment, and arrests are among the list of violations committed against journalists and activists.
Notably, controversial blogger Bogonko Bosire, who worked for Agence France Presse (AFP), went missing two years ago. He was known for his criticism of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration during the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings. It is reported that Bosire had been threatened multiple times, and his website Jackal News suffered at least one digital attack. Various rumors surrounding his fate spread online, but his whereabouts remain unknown.
In a digital safety and security training workshop conducted last month by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) in partnership with Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet), journalists, bloggers and activists admitted to using the Internet for research, communication and reporting but with little or no understanding of the existing digital threats.
“Why do I need security?” and “I’m not that important for anyone to waste time looking for information in my gadgets” were some of the comments participants made.
Other shortcomings identified in the pre-workshop assessment included poor organisation IT mobility policies whereby, just like other business organisations in Kenya, media houses allow their employees to carry their own devices to the workplace. Some of these devices are also used in public places by employees to meet their work targets. This increases the risks of journalists having their data lost or compromised especially since theft of mobile and computing devices is rampant in the country.
Freelance journalists indicated being unable to acquire the necessary digital safety resources as often availed to counterparts fully employed by the media houses. Besides, there was a widespread use of free web-based email services such as Yahoo, Google mail and Hotmail through which practitioners felt “sensitive communication can be intercepted since some of these email service companies have histories of being hacked”.
Accordingly, the CIPESA-KICTANet training workshop set out to equip participants with the necessary tools and knowledge needed to protect their digital information and communication, and to respond to various types of digital threats. The workshop topics ranged from the importance of digital security, secure communication and data storage, to PC and mobile device security, as well as the ethical and legal aspects of digital communication on social media platforms.
The interactive sessions enabled a knowledge-sharing environment in which participants were able to evaluate their security vulnerabilities and to choose security tools they would use to protect themselves and their work. Attendees engaged in group discussions, lab demonstrations, and case studies of ethical blogging. Participatory sessions demonstrated how to encrypt emails, create strong memorable passwords, and identify built-in security features on mobile devices to determine which are important for personal safety – taking into account that security features are only effective when used well.
As a means to protect information and guard against digital threats, the workshop facilitator, Harry Karanja, encouraged participants to use tools such as anonymous internet navigation settings, data encryption, and virtual private networks (VPN). He also recommended use of IP anonymisation and signing up with secure anonymous email services.
Participants were also urged to refrain from sharing personal identifiable information online, perform regular updates to the latest versions of operating systems, and back up their data.
Recommendations from participants for future workshops included partnering with learning institutions to train student journalists on digital security prior to engaging in professional work and the development of online tutorials for ongoing reference.
The workshop, held at Riara University in Nairobi, Kenya on June 17-18 2015, had 24 participants from Kenyan print, broadcast, and online news agencies. It is the fourth in a series of digital safety awareness and capacity building trainings conducted this year by CIPESA under its OpenNet Africa initiative. The others have been held in Tanzania and Uganda.

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