At first, it felt like a single unpleasant comment— something Maria Nankya could shrug off. But the tone shifted quickly.
Messages turned sexual, then threatening. Strangers slipped into her Facebook inbox, her Instagram DMs, and eventually her email.
“I thought it was just one rude comment,” the 24-year-old university student recalled. “Then he started sending sexual messages and threats… somehow even my email. Since then, I don’t post my pictures online.”
What she didn’t know is that she had stepped into a widening global crisis. What began as casual bullying spiraled into full-blown digital stalking, pushing her offline in fear. And she is far from alone.
According to new findings released last week by Twaweza’s Sauti za Wananchi initiative, more than one in three women worldwide have personally experienced online violence. Younger women are especially vulnerable—45 per cent report some form of harassment. The factsheet, titled Online Violence Against Women, was published as the world marked the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender- based Violence.
Maria Nanyanzi, a senior researcher at Twaweza who presented the findings, said online violence has become nearly universal in some parts of the world. Europe and North America report rates of around 75 per cent, already disturbingly high. But Africa shows an even sharper picture: nine in ten women online report harassment.
“Africa should learn from America and Europe by finding out why their figures are slightly lower,” Nanyanzi said.
In Uganda, the crisis is unfolding in real time. Half of all women who use the internet say they have faced cyber harassment. The numbers are slightly higher in rural areas than in urban centres, and the gap widens when age is factored in.
“It is substantially higher among younger women than women aged 31 years,” Nanyanzi noted.
The most common violation, reported by 81 per cent, is the sharing of explicit images without consent. Women also spoke about receiving unwanted explicit messages and emails.
Most of the perpetrators hide behind anonymity: “The majority of the women were harassed by a stranger, and 32 per cent by someone whose identity is not known,” she said.
To activists, the pattern is familiar. Online abuse mirrors the violence women face in homes, workplaces, and on the streets; only the location has changed.
“Online harassment is no different from the violence women face in real life,” said Annex Kemanze from Policy Uganda.
“If a man grabs my hand on the street, that’s physical harassment. Online, it takes another form—but it’s driven by the same attitudes.”
Journalists have seen the problem from another angle. Pius Katunzi of the Editors’ Guild warned that the explosion of social media has blurred boundaries around privacy. Many users record, post, and share intimate details of their lives—often without understanding how easily this material can be exploited.
“The platforms have been hijacked by a culture where everyone feels the need to post everything online,” Katunzi said. “If you have contributed to the erosion of your privacy rights, you cannot later complain.”
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