WARDC Calls for Stronger Laws,  Digital Safety, Others for Women

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) has reiterated its commitment to ending technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-GBV) in Nigeria by strengthening survivor support, expanding digital safety education, and pushing for gender-responsive cyber laws and enforcement.

It said  digital violence is real and it is growing with women and girls across Nigeria experiencing harassment, stalking, non-consensual image sharing, doxxing and other forms of abuse that undermine their safety, freedom of expression and participation in public life.

In a statement marking the 2025 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence under the global theme, “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls,” Acting Executive Director of WARDC, Dr. Princess Olufemi-Kayode said WARDC recognises that the internet and social media are not gender-neutral, and that addressing TF-GBV requires legal reform, capacity building for institutions, and community-level prevention and response.

To curb the menace, she revealed that the centre is open to rendering survivor-centered digital support services that includes investment in hotlines, evidence preservation protocols, free legal aid and psychosocial care tailored to TF-GBV victims.

She said it will also add capacity building for law enforcement, judiciary and regulators so complaints of online abuse are investigated promptly, evidence is preserved correctly, and survivors are protected from secondary victimisation.

Others are: “Platform accountability and industry cooperation: social media and tech platforms must implement faster, transparent reporting and takedown procedures, and provide safer defaults for women and girls.

“Sustained public education to shift social norms that normalize online harassment and to teach digital safety to girls and young women at schools and in communities.

“Digital spaces should expand women’s rights, not curtail them. During these 16 Days of Activism we call on government, tech companies, civil society and communities to UNiTE in ending all forms of violence against women, online and offline. Survivors need law, policy and practice that recognises the harms of digital violence and delivers justice swiftly.”

She also encouraged members of the public to report incidents of online abuse to WARDC’s legal team and partner hotlines with preserve evidence (screenshots, URLs, timestamps).

Meanwhile, WARDC has delivered digital security and online-safety trainings for women activists, survivors and community groups, and is working with partners to equip women with tools to protect themselves online and to document incidents for redress.