Reports of online violence against women journalists on the rise, says UN Women

World Press Freedom Day./FILE 

Reports of online violence against women journalists on the rise, says UN Women

Reports to police of online violence against women journalists have doubled globally since 2020, with one in four affected women experiencing anxiety and/or depression linked to the abuse.

Nearly half of women journalists now report self-censorship on social media, and about 22 per cent in their professional work, due to online harassment, according to a new report by UN Women.

A report titled Tipping Point: Online Violence Impacts, Manifestations and Redress in the AI Age, released by UN Women, TheNerve and partners, shows the growing and increasingly sophisticated forms of digital abuse targeting women in public life, particularly journalists and media professionals.

In Kenya, online violence against women journalists has been on the rise, especially during politically charged periods such as elections. According to the Association of Media Women in Kenya, a significant number of women journalists have reported experiencing online harassment, including threats, sexualised abuse, and coordinated trolling.

Data from AMWIK and ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa indicates that more than 60 per cent of women journalists in Kenya have faced some form of online violence, with many choosing not to report the incidents due to fear of retaliation or lack of confidence in the justice system.

A 2023 study by Pollicy and partners further found that women in Kenya are disproportionately targeted with gendered disinformation, including false narratives designed to damage their credibility and discourage their participation in public discourse.

The UN Women report shows that 12 per cent of women human rights defenders, activists, journalists and other public communicators have experienced the non-consensual sharing of personal images, including intimate content.

Six per cent reported being victims of deepfakes, while nearly one in three have received unsolicited sexual advances through digital messaging.

The report notes that such abuse is often deliberate and coordinated, aimed at silencing women in public life while undermining their professional credibility and personal reputations.

“This strategy is already having an impact. 41 per cent of all women respondents said they self-censor on social media to avoid abuse, while 19 per cent reported self-censoring in their professional work,” the report states.

For women journalists, the situation is more severe: 45 per cent reported self-censorship on social media in 2025, representing a 50 per cent increase since 2020, while nearly 22 per cent admitted to self-censoring in their work.

The report also points to a rise in reporting and legal action. In 2025, women journalists were twice as likely (22 per cent) to report incidents of online violence to the police compared to 2020 (11 per cent).

Nearly 14 per cent are now pursuing legal action against perpetrators, enablers or employers, up from eight per cent in 2020.

In Kenya, however, enforcement remains a challenge despite existing legal frameworks such as the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, which criminalises cyber harassment, identity theft and the publication of false information. Advocacy groups say gaps in implementation, slow investigations and limited digital forensics capacity continue to hinder justice for victims.

The report indicates that the impact of online violence is taking a significant toll on women’s health and wellbeing. Globally, nearly a quarter (24.7 per cent) of women journalists surveyed reported being diagnosed with anxiety or depression linked to online abuse, while about 13 per cent reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In Kenya, mental health experts have similarly warned of rising psychological distress among journalists facing sustained online attacks, particularly freelancers and younger reporters with limited institutional support.

“AI is making abuse easier and more damaging, fueling the erosion of hard-won rights in a context marked by democratic backsliding and networked misogyny,” said Kalliopi Mingerou, Chief of the Ending Violence Against Women Section at UN Women.

Globally, significant gaps in legal protection persist. Fewer than 40 per cent of countries have laws addressing cyber harassment or cyberstalking, according to the World Bank. As a result, an estimated 1.8 billion women and girls, about 44 per cent worldwide remain without adequate legal protection.