A Ugandan college student named Maria Nankya got harassed online after posting photos, and the whole thing escalated from rude comments to sexual threats, hitting her email inbox. Research from Twaweza dropped last week showing that nine out of ten African women who use the internet report getting harassed, which beats the already rough 75 percent rate in Europe and North America. Half of Ugandan women online said they dealt with cyber abuse, with younger users getting hit harder than anyone over 31.
Most perpetrators stay anonymous, and 81 percent of victims said people shared explicit images without permission. Maria Nanyanzi from Twaweza mentioned that Africa should check out why American and European numbers are slightly lower. An activist from Policy Uganda pointed out that online harassment mirrors the violence women deal with offline, just through different channels. A journalist from the Editors Guild said social media platforms got hijacked by people oversharing everything, which makes exploitation way easier.
Most perpetrators stay anonymous, and 81 percent of victims said people shared explicit images without permission. Maria Nanyanzi from Twaweza mentioned that Africa should check out why American and European numbers are slightly lower. An activist from Policy Uganda pointed out that online harassment mirrors the violence women deal with offline, just through different channels. A journalist from the Editors Guild said social media platforms got hijacked by people oversharing everything, which makes exploitation way easier.
