Evelyn Ugbe, Programme Lead at Race Africa, has raised concerns over the growing issue of online gender-based violence, particularly against women who challenge societal expectations.
Speaking on News Central’s Jasiri show on Tuesday, Ugbe explained how digital platforms have become tools for harassment, intimidation, and control.
She described tech-facilitated gender-based violence as a form of abuse designed to pressure victims into submission.
The perpetrators, she noted, use smartphones, social media, and other digital communication tools to stalk, threaten, and harass, especially targeting women who step outside traditional roles.
“Online gender-based violence or tech-facilitated gender-based violence, is a type of violence that is perpetrated with the aim to coerce and control, to make people do what the perpetrators want them to do. It involves the use of smartphones, tabs, and text messages. … it is perpetrated mostly through social media,” she said.
Ugbe pointed out that platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have been repeatedly used to attack women who speak out on sensitive issues.
She explained that while society accepts women discussing career success or motherhood, backlash often follows when they challenge cultural or gender norms.
“These mediums, like X, Meta, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, have been used towards perpetrating violence, to threaten, to stalk, to coerce, to harass, particularly women.
“That is why it’s the gender-based, particularly women who are stepping out of societal bounds. For example, people expect women to speak on certain traditional issues,” she stated.
She referenced findings from the Centre for Redefining Civic Engagement for Africa, which studied the state of online gender-based violence, particularly against women human rights defenders.
The study revealed that discussions often dismissed as “just online” can escalate into real-life violence.
“We are not really paying attention to the digital space and we have millions and millions of people using all of these networks or tweets to communicate,” she said.
To illustrate the dangers, she recalled the case of a student in Sokoto State (Deborah Samuel) who was attacked and killed after an online conversation turned into a real-world tragedy.
She noted that in regions where religious extremism and rigid gender expectations exist, women are at even greater risk when they speak out.
“… it would interest you to know that it starts online and then metamorphoses to physical,” she said.
Ugbe emphasised the need for greater awareness and stronger action to make digital spaces safer for women.
With millions relying on social media for communication, she warned that ignoring online abuse could allow it to spill over into physical violence, with devastating consequences.
Watch the full episode here:
