Group unveils strategy to tackle online gender abuse

Journalists for Christ International Outreach, Nigeria, has unveiled a youth-focused factsheet designed to help young people recognise and safely respond to misogyny and technology-facilitated gender-based violence in campus and digital spaces.

The organisation said the publication, titled Factsheet on Misogyny and Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, provides practical information on how gender-based abuse occurs across digital platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, X, Snapchat, Facebook, campus forums and other online spaces.

JFC Nigeria Focal Person for the TFGBV project and Vice President of the organisation, Mrs Ugonma Cokey, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.

Cokey said the factsheet was developed under the Public Recognition Small Grant, with funding support from the World Association for Christian Communication.

She said digital spaces had become an integral part of everyday life for young Nigerians, providing opportunities to learn, connect, organise, express opinions, promote businesses and build communities.

“However, these spaces can also be used to shame, threaten, sexually harass, stalk, monitor or control people because of their gender,” she said.

Cokey said online attacks against women should not be dismissed as simply “online drama”, noting that such abuse could have serious consequences for a person’s safety, dignity, education, relationships and participation in public and digital spaces.

The factsheet identifies common forms of TFGBV, including online and sexual harassment, cyberstalking and digital monitoring, doxxing, image-based abuse, sexting-related abuse, sextortion and blackmail, impersonation and fake accounts, AI-generated and manipulated content, unwanted sexual content and coordinated online attacks.

The Project Officer, Ms Blessing Oladunjoye, said the resource was intended not only to help young people identify abusive behaviour but also to encourage them to become peer allies who could help prevent the further spread of abuse.

She said the factsheet provides a four-step response framework for young women experiencing TFGBV: STOP, SECURE, REPORT and SUPPORT.

“Recognising technology-facilitated gender-based violence is an important first step towards preventing it,” Oladunjoye said, urging young people and members of online communities to take shared responsibility for creating safer digital spaces.

The organisation said the factsheet formed part of its ongoing work to promote awareness and public recognition of misogyny and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

It said the publication would be distributed to female students in higher institutions across Lagos State and published online to reach a wider student audience across Nigeria.