Technology-facilitated gender-based violence is transforming how abuse is carried out, extending threats against women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa beyond homes, workplaces and public spaces into the digital environments woven into everyday life. A new scoping review published in PLOS One examines how social media, smartphones, messaging platforms and other connected technologies are being used to enable or intensify gender-based violence across the region. The review highlights cyberbullying, online stalking and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images—often called “revenge porn”—as major forms of abuse that can follow victims continuously, crossing borders and reaching large audiences within seconds.
Unlike many offline forms of violence, technology-facilitated abuse can be persistent, rapidly reproduced and difficult to erase. A threatening message may be forwarded, copied or captured before it is deleted. An intimate photograph shared without consent can appear on multiple platforms, while anonymous or pseudonymous accounts can make it difficult to identify perpetrators. These characteristics give digital abuse a distinctive technical structure: the harm is not limited to a single encounter but can be amplified through networks of users, recommendation systems, search functions and automated content-sharing tools. The result is an environment in which a victim may face repeated exposure, harassment and surveillance even after blocking an individual account.
The review, titled “Technology-facilitated gender-based violence against women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review,” brings together existing evidence on the relationship between digital technologies and violence against women and girls in the region. A scoping review is designed to map the range, nature and limits of available research rather than calculate a single regional prevalence estimate. This approach is especially important for an emerging field in which terminology, research methods and legal definitions can differ widely between countries. By organizing what is already known, the authors seek to clarify the forms that technology-facilitated violence takes, its consequences and the areas where evidence remains incomplete.
The technologies involved are not inherently harmful. Social networks, mobile phones and digital communication services can connect people, expand access to education and healthcare, support political participation and provide lifelines for people experiencing abuse. The danger arises when these tools are used to control, intimidate, humiliate, monitor or silence someone because of their gender. In technical terms, the same systems that enable rapid communication also provide mechanisms for mass distribution, identity concealment, location tracking and persistent data storage. Features designed for convenience—such as automatic synchronization, forwarding, tagging and content recommendations—can become instruments of abuse when used without consent.
Cyberbullying is one prominent pathway described by the review. It may include repeated insults, sexualized abuse, threats, impersonation, coordinated harassment or the publication of degrading material. Because social media platforms allow many users to participate simultaneously, abuse can become collective rather than individual. A hostile campaign may be initiated by one person and then intensified by others through comments, reposts and direct messages. For victims, this can create a sense that there is no clear boundary between online and offline life. Digital harassment may also be linked to physical-world risks when perpetrators publish personal information, reveal a victim’s location or encourage others to make contact.
Stalking takes on additional dimensions when technology is involved. An abusive partner or other perpetrator may repeatedly call or message a victim, monitor online activity, demand passwords or track movements through location-enabled devices and applications. Some forms of surveillance rely on ordinary account functions, while others may involve spyware or unauthorized access to a phone. The technical complexity of these practices can make them difficult to recognize, particularly when monitoring is disguised as concern, relationship intimacy or digital “security.” Continuous surveillance can restrict a woman’s ability to communicate freely, seek help or maintain relationships, producing control even when the perpetrator is not physically present.
The non-consensual sharing of intimate images is especially damaging because digital files can be duplicated indefinitely. Once an image is uploaded or transmitted, the original sender may lose control over where it goes, who sees it and how it is altered. Images can be accompanied by identifying information, threats or fabricated claims, intensifying humiliation and social exposure. The term “revenge porn” is widely used, but it can obscure the broader range of circumstances involved, including coercion, extortion, hacking, deception and the sharing of images by people who were never intimate partners. The central issue is the absence of consent for distribution, regardless of the relationship between the people involved.
The consequences identified in the review extend beyond immediate distress. Technology-facilitated violence can affect psychological well-being, social relationships, education, employment and physical safety. Victims may withdraw from social media, change telephone numbers, abandon professional or educational opportunities, relocate or avoid seeking help because they fear further exposure. In settings where internet access, digital literacy and institutional support are uneven, the burden of responding may fall largely on the victim. Reporting abusive content can be complicated by unfamiliar platform procedures, slow responses, language barriers and uncertainty about whether local authorities recognize digital conduct as a form of gender-based violence.
The review also draws attention to the wider structural conditions that shape digital abuse in sub-Saharan Africa. Rapid growth in mobile connectivity has expanded the number of people participating in online spaces, but access to effective legal remedies, specialized investigators, victim-support services and platform accountability has not necessarily developed at the same pace. Definitions of online violence may vary among jurisdictions, and laws addressing privacy, cybercrime, harassment or image-based abuse may be incomplete or difficult to enforce. The authors’ mapping of the evidence therefore points to the need for research that is locally grounded, ethically conducted and attentive to differences in language, culture, connectivity, age, disability, economic status and geography.
Addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence will require more than removing individual posts after harm has occurred. Effective responses may include safer platform design, faster reporting systems, stronger privacy protections, digital-security education, trauma-informed support and laws that clearly recognize non-consensual digital abuse. Researchers also need better methods for measuring the problem without exposing survivors to additional risks. The PLOS One review provides a foundation for that work by showing how violence against women and girls can be reproduced through digital infrastructures as well as through interpersonal behavior. As technology becomes increasingly embedded in social and economic life, protecting people online will be inseparable from protecting them offline.
Subject of Research: Technology-facilitated gender-based violence against women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa.
Article Title: Technology-facilitated gender-based violence against women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review
News Publication Date: 19-Aug-2026
Web References: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0354526
References: Tarefa and Abdulai, “Technology-facilitated gender-based violence against women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review,” PLOS One, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0354526.
Image Credits: Tarefa, Abdulai, 2026, PLOS One, CC BY 4.0.
Keywords: technology-facilitated gender-based violence, women and girls, sub-Saharan Africa, cyberbullying, cyberstalking, revenge porn, image-based abuse, social media, digital safety, PLOS One
