The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has extended by one year the deadline for completing its continental study on digital violence against women in Africa, citing the complexity of the exercise, inadequate data, and the need for wider consultations across the continent.
The decision is contained in Resolution ACHPR/Res.665 of 2026, adopted virtually on July 31, 2026, by the Commission at its 88th Ordinary Session, held from July 17 to 31, 2026.
Under the resolution, the Commission directed its Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa and the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa to continue work on the study and submit its final version at a subsequent Ordinary Session.
The study was originally commissioned in 2024 following Resolution ACHPR/RES.591 of 2024, which committed the Commission to undertaking a one-year continental study into the underlying causes, manifestations, and impacts of digital violence against women in Africa. The responsibility for conducting the study was assigned jointly to the two Special Rapporteurs.
The Commission said the additional time was necessary because of the complexity of the study and the need for continent-wide consultations, noting that effective completion requires adequate consultation and data collection.
It also expressed concern about the continent’s limited data on digital developments and their role in violence against women.
According to the resolution, the lack of sufficient evidence presents a challenge to efforts by African States to effectively address digital violence against women.
The Commission stressed that governments require adequate information and evidence about the nature and extent of the problem, while recognising that available evidence varies across different regions due to contextual differences.
The decision builds on an earlier African Commission resolution adopted in 2022 on the Protection of Women Against Digital Violence in Africa, which called on States to take measures to eliminate violence against women on digital platforms.
The Commission linked the issue to fundamental rights protected under the African human rights system, including freedom of expression and access to information under Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
It also recalled Article 4 of the Maputo Protocol, which prohibits all forms of violence against women in private and public spaces.
The resolution therefore situated digital violence against women at the intersection of women’s rights, freedom of expression, access to information, and the broader human rights implications of Africa’s rapidly changing digital environment.
The Commission’s decision to extend the study is also significant because digital violence against women increasingly occurs across multiple online platforms and can take different forms and produce different impacts depending on national, cultural, technological, and socio-economic contexts.
The resolution itself, however, does not provide a detailed categorisation of the forms of digital violence to be examined.
The Commission called on States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), civil society organisations, and other relevant stakeholders to continue cooperating with the two Special Rapporteurs and support the completion of the study.
The study is expected to provide an important evidence base for understanding the causes, manifestations, and consequences of digital violence against women, and could contribute to the development of stronger continental standards and policy responses.
The Commission recalled that one of its core responsibilities under Article 45 of the African Charter is to undertake studies and research on African problems in the field of human and peoples’ rights, as well as to develop norms and standards to guide States in fulfilling their obligations under the African Charter and its protocols.
