GBV silences women and girls
Botswana is among the countries that have introduced cybercrime legislation; however, enforcement remains weak, and gender dimensions are often overlooked.
Speaking at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Violence on Women and Girls this week, Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs, Lesego Chombo, said this challenges the country to ensure intense public education on the Cybercrime and Computer Related Crimes Act, and the Data Protection Act, as well as strengthen enforcement and support services to survivors of online violence.
Chombo said digital violence is not just a technological issue but also a violation of human rights.
“It silences women and girls, limits their participation and erodes the very promise of equality that our nation stands for,” she said.
According to the Minister, the Government has since put in place measures to enforce laws dealing with abuse in cyberspace. These include: the Cybercrime and Computer Related Crimes Act, which recognises cyber harassment, cyber stalking, offensive electronic communication and revenge pornography as offences.
The Data Protection Act on the other hand regulates the processing of personal data to ensure individuals’ privacy is maintained, grants data subjects rights such as access to their data and imposes obligations on organisations that process personal data, including requirements for transparency, security and consent.
“We continue to develop our digital infrastructure and online presence. Government recognises the importance of addressing cyber-crime and cyber security measures including strengthening of the Cyber Crime Committee to coordinate efforts across government agencies and the private sector require enhancement.”
In addition, the Botswana Police Service Cyber Crime Unit set to investigate and prosecute cybercrime cases including online gender based violence (GBV), also needs to be enhanced to ensure it delivers on its mandate.
The theme for the 16 Days of Activism Against Violence on Women and Children, ‘Unite to end Digital Violence Against Women and Girls,’ draws global attention to the fact that there is no place that is completely safe for women and girls.
The National Gender Commission Vice Chair, Dr Morenaogaufi Rankopo brought to light the intensity of digital violence against women and girls when he cited a recent incident where a young woman from Kgatleng was trending online with several men taking turns sexually assaulting her.
In another incident, a prominent South African woman politician was trending after a video of her naked with a younger male lover was circulated.
“We note with concern that since the advent of technology, violence against women is now alarmingly widespread in digital platforms,” he said, adding that most of the time, the women and girls are at a disadvantage.
Dr Rankopo said these incidents demonstrate that while traditionally GBV happened in homes, schools, churches and community places, the internet has also become a place where women and girls are abused.
“This theme reminds us to take responsibility not only in our homes but also online,” he said this week at the start of the 16 Days Campaign that started on November 25 and is expected to end on December 10, 2025.
According to the UN Women Global Study of 2025, between 16 per cent and 58 per cent of women have experienced technology-facilitated violence. Thirty-eight per cent personally experienced online violence and 85 per cent witness it, while 36 per cent of the United States of America teens reported online violence, 22 per cent of global internet users aged 12 to 17 years, experience online violence, 60 per cent of women internet users in Arab States have experienced online violence, while 70 per cent of adults had negative online experiences, with 27 per cent encountering abuse and harassment and in Europe, the USA and New Zealand, 23 per cent of women reported online abuse, while in the UK, one in five women had experienced online abuse or harassment.
Minister Chombo stated that Statistics Briefing on Online Harm and Abuse of 2024 reveals that 19 per cent of children aged 10 to 15, exchange messages with someone online who they never met before in the last year, over 9000 child sexual abuse offences involved an online element in 2022/23. Further, that around a sixth of people that experienced online harassment offences were under 18 years old and this under 18 year olds were the subject of around a quarter of reported offences of online blackmail in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In the African context, as per this November, UN Women Africa indicates that 90 to 95 per cent of online deep fakes are sexual images of women, 28 per cent of women interviewed across five African countries reported experiencing online violence, 42 per cent of female African Parliamentarians said they had received death threats, rape threats, or threats of beating or abduction online and one country within Southern Africa reported that 95 per cent of online aggressive behaviour and abuse language targets women and girls.
Chombo said UN Women Africa further indicated that despite these shocking statistics, less than 40 per cent of countries have laws addressing digital violence, leaving nearly 1.78 billion women and girls without legal protection with only 25 percent offered legal protection in Sub-Saharan Africa.