The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has called for stronger laws and institutional measures to combat technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.

Yetunde Odekunle of DSVA made the call on Friday at a two-day regional convening organised by the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in Lagos.

She said digital platforms, despite expanding communication and economic opportunities, were increasingly being exploited for harassment, blackmail, sexual abuse and other forms of gender-based violence.

Ms Odekunle warned that online abuse could spread rapidly across multiple platforms, complicating efforts to remove harmful content and protect survivors from further victimisation.

She stressed that tackling the problem required coordinated action involving government agencies, law enforcement, technology companies, civil society organisations and educational institutions.

According to her, a proposed framework focuses on prevention, survivor support, accountability, partnerships, research and ensuring women and children have access to justice.

She said the framework promotes digital safety education, accessible reporting channels, specialised support services and improved procedures for preserving and handling digital evidence.

Ms Odekunle emphasised the need to equip survivors and relevant institutions with the knowledge and resources to report abuse and pursue justice without further victimisation.

She also advocated stronger collaboration between national authorities and digital platforms to tackle online abuse that crosses geographical and jurisdictional boundaries.

Earlier, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, WARDC’s founding director, said the organisation was strengthening solidarity among women and building their capacity to identify, prevent and respond to digital abuse.

She said the initiative included training on digital safety, recognising online abuse and understanding the appropriate steps to take when incidents occurred.

Mrs Akiyode-Afolabi said a recent training exercise reached more than 1,000 participants, including approximately 1,000 people who participated online.

She identified the misuse of loan applications to harass and publicly shame borrowers as another form of technology-facilitated abuse.

She added that the non-consensual sharing of intimate images was also used to threaten and blackmail women.

Mrs Akiyode-Afolabi called for stronger prevention, detection and response mechanisms to protect women and girls from abuse in digital spaces.

She urged stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and ensure survivors could access timely support and justice. 

(NAN)