The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has issued a stark warning about the escalating threat of digital violence against female journalists across the continent, calling it an attack on democracy itself that demands urgent action from governments, tech companies, and civil society.
Marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists on November 2, Commissioner Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo, the Commission’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, emphasised that while attacks against journalists continue to rise across Africa, women in media face disproportionate and targeted violence in both the physical and digital spaces.
Highlighting the alarming rise in online attacks targeting women in media, Commissioner Topsy-Sonoo said the statistics paint a disturbing picture, noting that according to the International Center for Journalists (ICJ), 73% of female journalists surveyed have experienced online violence. Of the threatening messages they received, 25% threatened physical violence and 18% threatened sexual violence. These attacks range from cyber-harassment and cyberstalking to sexist hate speech, doxing, and increasingly, AI-driven threats, including deepfakes and gendered disinformation, collectively known as technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV).
“While the digital realm should be a space of innovation and empowerment, it has become a battleground where women face harassment, intimidation, and violence,” the Commission stated in its press release. This violence takes multiple forms, including abusive language, harassing private messages, threats to damage professional or personal reputations, digital security attacks, misrepresentation via manipulated images, and financial threats.
The Commission emphasised that these attacks constitute violations not only of Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees the right to receive, express, and disseminate information, but also of the Maputo Protocol, which defines violence against women to include acts causing psychological or economic harm and arbitrary restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
In response to this emerging crisis, the Commission adopted Resolution ACHPR/Res.522(LXXII)2022 on the Protection of Women Against Digital Violence in Africa in 2022, calling on states to review or adopt legislation combating all forms of digital violence and to expand definitions of gender-based violence to include digital attacks.
Additionally, the Commission’s Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa specifically requires states to “take specific measures to ensure the safety of female journalists and media practitioners by addressing gender-specific safety concerns, including sexual and gender-based violence, intimidation, and harassment.”
However, implementation remains inadequate. The Commission notes that threats of violence and attacks on journalists are not properly investigated, creating an environment of impunity that emboldens perpetrators while creating a chilling effect that silences journalists. Tech companies, through which these abuses circulate, have been slow to support targeted journalists or block attackers.
The Commission called for an intersectional approach involving multiple stakeholders, noting that African states must vocally condemn all attacks on journalists, vigorously investigate incidents, and expedite prosecutions. Tech companies should increase risk assessments about online threats and take decisive action. Media organisations must better mobilise to support targeted colleagues and campaign for justice. Civil society should demand application of the rule of law, and society as a whole must recognise that journalist safety contributes to access to reliable information.
“Silencing women journalists constitutes an attack on democracy,” the Commission stated. “Online assaults targeting female journalists pose one of the most concerning threats to media freedom and the democratic process, which aids and abets impunity for crimes against journalists.”
The Commission emphasised that journalists play a fundamental role in society, ensuring freedom of expression and the free flow of information. When journalists are silenced, it impacts citizens’ ability to exercise their democratic rights. Creating a safe and enabling environment for journalists to work independently and without interference is described as “a public good for society at large.”
“Journalists are the purveyors of credible information which contributes to having a functioning democracy,” the statement concluded. “By ending the impunity for crimes against journalists, we are fortifying the flow of information and consolidating democracy.”
The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists was established by UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/68/163 in December 2013, recognising that journalists’ work often puts them at risk of intimidation, harassment, and violence. The resolution condemned all attacks against journalists and media workers and resolved to promote a safe and enabling environment for independent journalism.
