EU commits to tackle digital harassment, violence against women in Cameroon.

This was during a Talk and Share session on digital violence which held in Yaounde. The event was as part of the launch of the EU’s 16 days of activism campaign. The campaign, underway since November 25, officials said, will end of December 10.

It is rolling on under the theme: “United to end digital violence against all women and girls”. 

Team Europe, comprising officials from Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, and France; civil society actors alongside other stakeholders attended the event.

Chataigner challenged stakeholders to work to make a safe, inclusive, and respectful space for everyone so as to silence all forms of violence against women and girls.

Digital violence, he said, is a phenomenon “that is rapidly expanding the internet disproportionately affecting thousands of women and in particular young people”.

Chataigner said digital violence includes online violence, sexist and misogynistic insults, threats, online stalking where women are reported and then pursued with malice among others.

He also added that the sharing of intimate images without consent, and sometimes images generated by Artificial Intelligence, AI, as extended forms of real-world violence.

The diplomat cited a United Nations, UN report which he said, indicates that 60% of women report having experienced a form of digital violence. 

“They reflect a deep contempt for women. Many of them are learning the hard way to navigate a digital environment that is hostile and discriminatory, causing anxiety, isolation, loss of confidence, the prospect of self-censorship and possible withdrawal from public spaces,” Chataigner stated.

The EU, he said, “is truly committed to this fight against cyber harassment, against online violence on women”. He added that the fight “…is a major priority based on law, public policies, concerted actions, and collective mobilization”.

The diplomat commended strides made in Cameroon, adding that: “We must have legal frameworks imposed on major digital actors including Google, X, and Meta, to put an end to these forms of violence”.

Activist push for laws to combat cyber harassment

Young feminist, Caroline Mveng, said currently, the legislation on cyber harassment is not up to the current challenges. Mveng mentioned the 2010 law on cybersecurity and cyber criminality and the charter which dates from 2023 on the protection of children online.

She said there is no particular text that touches on the “issue of gender-based online violence”, adding that: “Whether we like it or not, digital technology is part of our daily lives”.

On other forms of violence women face online, she added “…slut-shame, calling of women pepper seller, panther, because they post contents, body shaming, sextortion and revenge porn…”.

The President of Green Nature and International Festivals of Films, NDAHNAH, Ghislaine Nathalie Monjap, said there is much still to be done despite strides recorded.

“…we are not going to eradicate this scourge in one day. We need to establish a family code, consider the place of women in our society, give them the opportunity to express themselves,” Monjap stated.

Combating Gender-based Violence through NDAHNAH, she stated, “is giving young girls and women voice to write their own scripts, tell their stories and put them into short films…”. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3645 of Thursday December 04, 2025