First Inaugural Symposium on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV)

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence, or TFGBV, is an act of violence perpetrated by one or more individuals that is committed, assisted, aggravated and amplified in part or fully by the use of information and communication technologies or digital media against a person on the basis of gender.

According to a baseline study conducted by UNFPA as part of the Making All Spaces Safe (MASS) Programme in Kenya and Benin, key forms of TFGBV include cyberbullying, harassment, stalking, hacking, surveillance, identity theft, impersonation, phishing, scams, and non-consensual sharing of personal or intimate content, including AI-generated deepfakes. These are not the only forms of TFGBV affecting individuals and communities.

Digital spaces remain deeply unequal and unsafe for many women and girls. Across Kenya and Benin, nearly half of respondents in a baseline study reported feeling unsafe online, with women significantly more at risk. Awareness of TFGBV, legal protections, and platform safeguards is worryingly low, especially among youth, limiting prevention and accountability.

One in three respondents experienced TFGBV, yet only a fraction sought help, citing weak trust in justice systems and limited reporting mechanisms. While services exist, coordination and survivor-centred responses remain limited. Addressing TFGBV demands immediate, urgent, and multi-sectoral efforts that integrate TFGBV into existing GBV and ICT programming to make digital spaces truly safe and inclusive.