By Raylenne Kambua
Across Africa, women journalists are increasingly subjected to online and offline gender-based violence (O/GBV) and related violations in the course of their work. Patterns of abuse range from sexist insults and disinformation campaigns to arbitrary arrests and threats of sexual and physical harm. Such attacks form part of a broader effort to silence women in the media, particularly those reporting on politics, governance, and conflict.
Recent cases illustrate the growing scale of this threat. In Central Africa, particularly in countries such as Cameroon, journalists such as Mimi Mefo have faced waves of online harassment following political commentary, with attacks often targeting their gender and credibility rather than the substance of their reporting. In Congo-Brazzaville, journalist Rosie Pioth was forced into hiding after receiving death threats linked to her investigative work. These incidents reflect a broader regional pattern in which women journalists are targeted not only for what they report, but also because they are women operating in public spaces.
Data generated through an observatory established by the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT) underscores the scale of the problem. According to the observatory’s findings, 73% of women journalists in Africa have experienced online harassment, 25% have faced physical threats, and 18% have endured sexual violence. These figures highlight the severity of O/GBV and its effects on journalistic practice. Particularly concerning is the growing link between online abuse and real-world harm.
A global survey conducted by UNESCO found that as many as 42% of women journalists had experienced offline attacks linked to online violence, underscoring the dangerous continuum between digital and physical spaces.
The nature of these attacks is often deeply gendered. Women journalists are subjected to sexist insults, sexualised threats, and coordinated trolling campaigns designed to discredit and silence them. Research by Media Defence indicates that political actors are among the principal drivers or amplifiers of online attacks, especially during election periods. In many cases, such harassment is strategic, aimed at discouraging women from participating in public discourse and weakening independent journalism.
In response to this growing crisis, IAWRT has emerged as a key institutional actor. Through its partnership with UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), the organisation has developed an Africa-wide observatory to monitor and document violations against women journalists. The platform serves as a centralised hub for reporting incidents in real time, mapping their geographic spread, and categorising different forms of abuse, from online harassment to physical violence.
Importantly, this initiative extends beyond documentation. The observatory is intended to strengthen accountability by linking reported cases to legal and institutional responses, including collaboration with law enforcement agencies and legal experts. In this way, cases are not merely recorded but may also be pursued through formal legal channels, thereby contributing to efforts to address the persistent problem of impunity.
Impunity persists because legal and institutional responses to violence against women journalists are often weak, inconsistent, or absent altogether. Although regional and national frameworks such as the Maputo Protocol, African Union human rights standards, and constitutional protections for freedom of expression provide a basis for redress, enforcement remains uneven in practice. Many cases of online and offline abuse go unreported or are not properly investigated, while perpetrators are rarely identified or sanctioned. This accountability gap not only emboldens further attacks but also deepens self-censorship among women journalists, particularly those covering politics, corruption, and other high-risk issues.
Advocacy efforts are also critical to addressing O/GBV. Campaigns such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence play an important role in raising awareness of the risks faced by women journalists and in amplifying calls for protection. Such initiatives highlight the link between gender-based violence and freedom of expression, recognising journalists as both reporters on violence and victims of it.
At the national level, collaborative initiatives are emerging to address these challenges. The Kenya Media Sector Working Group, of which IAWRT is a member, has been actively advocating for an end to violence against journalists, including women journalists. These efforts emphasise the need for gender-sensitive policies, stronger legal protections, and improved safety mechanisms within the media sector.
Despite these initiatives, significant challenges persist. The rapid expansion of digital platforms has created new avenues for abuse, while regulatory frameworks continue to struggle to keep pace. Digital platforms may also enable abuse through weak content moderation, ineffective reporting mechanisms, algorithmic amplification of harmful content, and delayed responses to targeted harassment.
The experiences of journalists such as Cameroonian Mimi Mefo and Kenya’s Yvonne Okwara demonstrate how online platforms can become sites of coordinated gendered abuse, particularly after politically sensitive reporting or interviews. At the same time, cultural and societal norms often discourage women from reporting harassment, resulting in significant underreporting. As IAWRT notes, many women journalists remain silent because of fear, limited legal support, or social stigma.
Addressing O/GBV against women journalists in Africa therefore requires a comprehensive approach. This includes strengthening legal frameworks, improving platform accountability, enhancing digital safety training, and building solidarity networks among journalists. It also requires recognising online violence as a serious threat not only to individual safety but also to media freedom and democratic participation, insofar as it limits the diversity of voices in public discourse and constrains investigative reporting, source protection, and editorial independence.
IAWRT continues to document and respond to violations against women journalists through its observatory, ensuring that incidents of harassment are systematically recorded. Beyond mapping these cases, it is strengthening legal follow-up by working with partners to pursue accountability and justice for affected journalists. More broadly, the persistence of threats, harassment, intimidation, and other forms of gender-based violence against women journalists underscores that such abuse is sustained not only by individual perpetrators, but also by institutional weakness and digital environments that fail to provide adequate protection or remedy. With support from UNESCO-IPDC, these efforts are helping to bridge the gap between documenting abuse and securing meaningful redress.
Raylenne is a communications and programs professional with over 7 years’ experience working at the intersection of media, gender, technology and human rights.