When women run for office or take a seat in parliament, they become targets. RFLD’s report Online violence against women in West and Central Africa 2026 gives a full chapter to women in public life. Its evidence on women in politics is among the strongest in the report, and among the most worrying.
What the continental data shows
The most solid African data comes from a study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the African Parliamentary Union, published in November 2021. It drew on interviews with 224 women from 50 African countries, including 137 members of parliament.
The findings are stark. 42% had received threats of death, rape, beating or abduction, mostly through social media. 46% had faced online attacks. These are women with public authority. Women at local level, or women who are still building a political career, may have less protection.
Monitoring in Ghana
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) monitors online gender-based violence against women politicians in Ghana. Its report for January 2025 recorded 31 posts of online gender-based violence against women politicians in a single month. More than 80% appeared on one news site, Ghanaweb. Of the perpetrators who could be identified, 19 were men.
Monthly monitoring of this kind is rare in the region. It shows where abuse happens and who carries it out, which helps target both platform engagement and public awareness.
Research by the Nordic Africa Institute, released in February 2026 with UNDP Ghana, adds context. Based on 134 interviews with politically active women in three countries, including Ghana, it documented sexualised harassment, threats against family members, moral accusations and online abuse. In Ghana, women hold only 4.1% of district assembly seats.
Gendered disinformation
Abuse against women politicians often takes the form of gendered disinformation. A 2025 network analysis by TheCable Fact Check examined coordinated posts on X against prominent Nigerian women, including a senator. The attacks focused on appearance and marital status, using false or demeaning claims to undermine credibility.
Abuse follows political viability
One finding in the report deserves attention from anyone working on women’s participation. In Nigeria’s 2024 governorship races in Edo and Ondo states, the Centre for Democracy and Development found only limited disinformation campaigns targeting women. The reason was simple: no woman was a serious contender.
The report draws a clear lesson from this. Online attacks scale with women’s political viability. As more women stand and win, the volume of abuse is likely to grow unless prevention and response are in place before elections.
Why it matters for democracy
Online violence against women in politics is a question of rights and of representation. Article 9 of the Maputo Protocol guarantees women’s right to participate in political and decision-making processes. When abuse drives women to stand down, or deters them from standing at all, that right is emptied of meaning.
The UN Commission on the Status of Women recognised in its 2023 agreed conclusions that women in public life, including candidates and voters, face higher levels of violence, especially on social media.
What the report recommends
The report’s recommendations address women in politics directly:
- Technology companies should create priority reporting channels for women in public life, especially during elections.
- States should review cybercrime laws to remove or narrow broad offences that are used against journalists and women human rights defenders.
- Civil society should document cases with the informed consent of survivors and use them in shadow reports to the African Commission.
- Funders should support women’s organisations that provide digital safety training and legal support.
Political parties and electoral bodies also have a role. Preparing candidates for online abuse, and agreeing on rapid reporting routes with platforms ahead of polling day, are practical steps that do not require new laws.
For the legal context on women’s political rights in each country, see RFLD’s women’s rights laws pages. 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.
