Journalists for Christ International Outreach, Nigeria, has unveiled a youth-focused factsheet designed to help young people recognise and safely respond to misogyny and technology-facilitated gender-based violence in campus and digital spaces. The factsheet, titled Factsheet on Misogyny and Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, provides practical information on how gender-based abuse occurs across digital platforms.
The organisation said digital spaces had become an integral part of everyday life for young Nigerians, providing opportunities to learn, connect, organise, express opinions, promote businesses and build communities. However, these spaces can also be used to shame, threaten, sexually harass, stalk, monitor or control people because of their gender, according to Mrs Ugonma Cokey, JFC Nigeria Focal Person for the TFGBV project and Vice President of the organisation.
Cokey said online attacks against women should not be dismissed as simply “online drama”, noting that such abuse could have serious consequences for a person’s safety, dignity, education, relationships and participation in public and digital spaces. The factsheet identifies common forms of TFGBV, including online and sexual harassment, cyberstalking and digital monitoring, doxxing, image-based abuse, sexting-related abuse, sextortion and blackmail, impersonation and fake accounts, AI-generated and manipulated content, unwanted sexual content and coordinated online attacks.
The Project Officer, Ms Blessing Oladunjoye, said the resource was intended not only to help young people identify abusive behaviour but also to encourage them to become peer allies who could help prevent the further spread of abuse. She said the factsheet provides a four-step response framework for young women experiencing TFGBV: STOP, SECURE, REPORT and SUPPORT.
Oladunjoye urged young people and members of online communities to take shared responsibility for creating safer digital spaces, saying recognising technology-facilitated gender-based violence is an important first step towards preventing it. The organisation said the factsheet formed part of its ongoing work to promote awareness and public recognition of misogyny and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
The factsheet was developed under the Public Recognition Small Grant, with funding support from the World Association for Christian Communication. It will be distributed to female students in higher institutions across Lagos State and published online to reach a wider student audience across Nigeria.
The initiative aims to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to navigate digital spaces safely and responsibly. By doing so, Journalists for Christ International Outreach, Nigeria, hopes to contribute to a reduction in online gender-based violence and promote a culture of respect and empathy in digital spaces.
Key points
- Journalists for Christ International Outreach, Nigeria, launches factsheet to tackle online gender abuse.
- The factsheet provides practical information on recognising and responding to technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
- The initiative aims to equip young people with the knowledge and skills to navigate digital spaces safely and responsibly.
