Women’s rights organisations and the media do not need to wait for new laws to act on online violence. RFLD’s report Online violence against women in West and Central Africa 2026 sets out what they can do now, and how to use the African human rights system to push states further.
Four recommendations to civil society and the media
The report addresses four recommendations to civil society and the media:
- document cases of online violence with the informed consent of survivors, and use them in shadow reports to the African Commission;
- use data protection authorities and existing laws to seek the removal of content and accountability;
- adopt newsroom and organisational policies on online harassment, with clear support for staff who are targeted;
- build alliances between women’s rights organisations and the groups that defend digital rights and media freedom.
Documenting with care
Documentation is the foundation. With so little data in the region, well-documented cases give weight to advocacy. They must be collected ethically. The report’s survivor-centred response sets out the conditions: informed consent and secure, anonymised records.
Organisations can prepare by agreeing protocols on consent and confidentiality, and by keeping referral lists up to date. They should never publish identifying details of survivors.
Using the law that already exists
Even where criminal law is weak, there are routes. Data protection authorities can order the removal of personal data processed without consent. In The Gambia, the Personal Data Protection and Privacy Act 2025 gives NGOs standing to lodge complaints on a data subject’s behalf. In Senegal, the data protection authority processed 456 cases in 2025.
Protecting those who speak
The media and civil society organisations are themselves targets. The 2025 Tipping point survey by UN Women found that 70% of women human rights defenders and journalists surveyed had experienced online violence. Newsroom policies with clear support for targeted staff are a practical first step. Participants in a 2026 workshop for women journalists in the DRC called for zero-tolerance policies and for alert and protection mechanisms.
Building alliances
Online violence sits where women’s rights meet digital rights and media freedom. Few organisations cover all of these fields. Alliances allow each to bring its expertise: legal analysis, technical security, monitoring of abuse, or support to survivors.
Taking the issue to the African Commission
The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights offers a regional forum where states must account for their record. Each state party to the African Charter and the Maputo Protocol must report periodically on its implementation. Civil society can submit shadow reports alongside these state reports.
The report asks the Commission to question states, during the examination of their periodic reports, on how they have implemented Resolution 522 on digital violence against women. Shadow reports can give commissioners the evidence and questions they need. RFLD’s member organisations, present in more than 35 African countries, are well placed to contribute such evidence.
The report also asks the Commission to publish the continental study mandated by Resolution 591, with primary data from West and Central Africa. In addition, it suggests a General Comment on digital violence against women under Articles 3 and 4 of the Maputo Protocol. Civil society can support both requests in statements and side events at the Commission’s ordinary sessions.
What to put in a shadow report
A shadow report on online violence can cover:
- whether national law criminalises sharing intimate images, threats to share, sextortion and cyberstalking;
- whether police and courts publish data by sex and by type of offence;
- whether survivors have access to legal aid and psychosocial support;
- whether the state has signed and ratified the AU Convention on Ending Violence against Women and Girls.
Each point links back to Resolution 522 and the Maputo Protocol. Articles 3 and 4 protect women’s dignity and security, and Article 9 protects their right to political participation.
Resources
RFLD’s manual on shadow reports under the Maputo Protocol explains how to prepare and submit a report. The report summary sets out all the recommendations.
About the report
This article draws on RFLD’s report Online violence against women in West and Central Africa 2026, published on 4 October 2026. Read the summary, download the English edition or the French edition.
