By Ere-ebi Agedah Imisi
Journalists for Christ International Outreach, Nigeria has unveiled a youth-focused factsheet to help young people identify and respond safely to misogyny and technology-facilitated gender-based violence in campus and digital environments.
The organisation said the publication, titled Factsheet on Misogyny and Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, provides practical guidance on recognising gender-based abuse across platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, X, Snapchat, Facebook, campus forums and other online spaces.
JFC Nigeria Focal Person for the Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence project and Vice President of the organisation, Mrs Ugonma Cokey, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.
Cokey said the factsheet was produced under the Public Recognition Small Grant, with funding support from the World Association for Christian Communication.
She noted that digital platforms had become an important part of everyday life for young Nigerians, providing opportunities to learn, communicate, organise, express opinions, promote businesses and build communities.
However, she warned that the same platforms could also be used to shame, threaten, sexually harass, stalk, monitor or control people because of their gender.
Cokey urged young people not to dismiss online attacks against women as mere online drama, stressing that technology-facilitated abuse could have serious consequences for victims’ safety, dignity, education, relationships and participation in public life.
The factsheet identifies several forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including online and sexual harassment, cyberstalking, digital monitoring, doxxing, image-based abuse, sextortion, blackmail, impersonation, fake accounts, AI-generated or manipulated content, unwanted sexual material and coordinated online attacks.
Project Officer, Ms Blessing Oladunjoye, said the resource was designed not only to help young people recognise abusive behaviour but also to encourage them to become peer allies in preventing the spread of such abuse.
According to her, the factsheet provides a four-step response framework for young women experiencing technology-facilitated gender-based violence: STOP, SECURE, REPORT and SUPPORT.
“Recognising technology-facilitated gender-based violence is an important first step towards preventing it,” Oladunjoye said.
She urged young people and members of online communities to take shared responsibility for creating safer digital spaces.
JFC Nigeria said the publication formed part of its ongoing efforts to raise awareness and promote public recognition of misogyny and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
