Rights group calls for reforms to tackle digital violence.

The organisation has requested government to enact urgent reforms to address the situation. The call was made November 28, 2025, in Douala.

This was during a press conference marking the ongoing 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

Held under this year’s theme: “unite! Invest to prevent violence against women — ending digital violence”, the campaign focuses on one of the fastest-growing forms of threats and abuse.

The Executive Coordinator of Working for Our Wellbeing, Nkwain Hamlet, said the rise of digital platforms in Cameroon has come with a darker reality including an explosion in cyber harassment, image-based abuse, online blackmail, identity theft, hate speech, impersonation and targeted misogynistic attacks.

According to him, the violations often go unpunished “because many communities still tend to minimise online abuse as not real violence”.

“The digital space has become a new theatre of abuse for women. Every day, we receive calls from young women whose intimate images have been leaked, whose accounts are hijacked, or who are being threatened by anonymous predators,” Nkwain said.

“Digital violence is real violence. Its effects are long-lasting and, in many cases, more damaging than physical abuse because the internet never forgets,” he added.

The coordinator noted that his organisation has documented cases where victims were pushed out of school, lost jobs, or suffered severe psychological trauma after their images or private conversations were circulated online.

Official decries silence, stigma…

Presenting a comprehensive overview of the issue, the Gender Focal Point of the rights organisation, Nyah Sandrine, said young women, adolescent girls and university students remain disproportionately affected, especially those active on social media platforms where perpetrators use fake accounts to target them.

She explained that despite the rising cases, reporting remains extremely low due to fear of stigma and victim-blaming, family pressure to remain silent, inadequate legal follow-up, limited digital literacy and the absence of survivor-friendly reporting channels.

Nyah cited examples of women who endured months of psychological torture “because online abusers continued spreading content even after they blocked them”.

“Many survivors are too ashamed to report. Society often blames the victim instead of the perpetrator,” Nyah said.

She added that: “We need stronger digital literacy campaigns, survivor-centred support systems, and clear referral pathways that ensure women do not navigate this trauma alone”.

Nyah continued that digital violence is now one of the most common forms of abuse faced by teenage girls, who are often tricked into sharing personal images that later become tools for extortion. 

“If we do not protect women online, we are failing them offline too,” Nyah said.

Calls for coordinated national data system

On his part, Youth Advocate and research lead, Lefon George highlighted the organisation’s ongoing efforts to systematically track statistics, map patterns and analyse emerging trends in digital abuse.

He revealed that the absence of a national database on digital violence leaves policymakers blind to the scale of the problem. 

“You cannot solve what you cannot measure,” Lefon said, before adding that “most of the cases victims report to us do not exist anywhere in official statistics. This gap makes it difficult for institutions to design meaningful interventions.”

Lefon said the organisation is currently piloting a community-driven digital reporting tool that will allow women and girls to confidentially document violations without fear of exposure. 

The tool, he said, will also help activists understand the geographic hotspots, age categories most affected, and the most common forms of online harassment.

Stronger law enforcement, collaboration with telecom operators

The organisation has urged the Ministries of Posts and Telecommunications, that of Communication, Women’s Empowerment and the Family, and Justice to intensify coordinating efforts to combat digital GBV. 

They have also called on telecommunication companies to provide safer complaint channels, Internet service providers to strengthen privacy protections, schools to include digital safety in their curricula, law enforcement officers to treat cyber abuse with the seriousness it deserves, digital platforms to improve content moderation and quick removal of harmful material.

Nkwain stressed that Cameroon cannot afford to ignore the “invisible epidemic” of digital violence, warning that failure to act would leave a generation of girls exposed to exploitation.

As part of this year’s campaign, the organisation announced a series of activities including digital safety workshops for secondary and university students, training sessions on responding to image-based abuse, community outreach programmes, confidential survivor support clinics, awareness campaigns encouraging safe online behaviour

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3643 of Tuesday December 02, 2025