In Aproximately ratio of six in ten young women in Tanzania are experiencing online harassment, with 31 percent reporting threats or non-consensual sharing of intimate images.
The growing scale of abuse is also reshaping behavior, as one in four young women say they have reduced or stopped using social media altogether.
These findings, drawn from studies conducted between 2023 and 2024 by United Nations Population Fund, WILDAF and Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority, paint a stark picture of how digital spaces are becoming new frontiers of gender-based violence.
Against this backdrop, government institutions, civil society organizations, development partners, technology stakeholders and youth advocates convened in Dar es Salaam for the National Symposium on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV).
The meeting brought together a cross-section of actors to strengthen Tanzania’s coordinated response to the growing threat of online violence targeting women and girls.
The symposium was organized by United Nations Population Fund in partnership with C-Sema under the Chaguo Langu Haki Yangu Programme, with financial support from the Government of Finland.
It provided a platform for national and international experts to review emerging evidence, examine policy and legal frameworks, and propose practical interventions to prevent and respond to technology-facilitated gender-based violence in Tanzania.
Speaking during the symposium, the Deputy Representative of United Nations Population Fund in Tanzania, Melissa Barrett, stressed that the rapid expansion of digital access must be matched with safeguards that protect users, particularly women and girls.
She noted that while technology has opened doors for participation, innovation and expression, it must not become a space where harm thrives unchecked.
Her remarks were echoed by the Ambassador of Finland to Tanzania, Theresa Zitting, who emphasized the importance of integrating efforts to address technology-facilitated violence into broader gender equality and development agendas.
She highlighted Finland’s continued support for initiatives aimed at strengthening digital governance, cybersecurity, and inclusive online environments.
Adding a technical and policy perspective, Dr Ali Haji Hamad, Gender Programme Analyst at United Nations Population Fund, underscored the importance of evidence-based programming.
He pointed out that as digital risks evolve, existing gender-based violence response systems must also adapt, particularly in safeguarding survivor data, strengthening reporting mechanisms, and ensuring that policy responses remain relevant in a rapidly changing technological landscape.
From the youth frontlines, Diannarose Lyimo, a youth leader representing civil society organizations, drew attention to the lived realities of young women navigating online spaces.
She noted that many young people encounter harassment, abuse, and intimidation on a daily basis, calling for expanded digital literacy, safer online platforms, and stronger inclusion of youth voices in designing solutions.
Gender-based violence continues to be one of the most pressing human rights challenges in Tanzania. National statistics indicate that 39.5 percent of ever-married women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical, emotional, or sexual violence from an intimate partner.
With internet usage rising rapidly, reaching nearly 29 million users in 2023, the nature of violence is increasingly extending into digital environments.
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence spans a wide spectrum, including online harassment, cyberstalking, non-consensual image sharing, online threats and misogynistic hate speech.
Recent studies show that 57 percent of young women aged 18 to 30 have experienced some form of this abuse, underlining the urgency of coordinated and forward-looking responses.
Participants at the symposium emphasized that safeguarding digital spaces is now an integral component of protecting women and girls from violence.
While Tanzania has made significant progress in strengthening legal and policy frameworks, including the National Gender Development Policy and the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (NPA-VAWC II), stakeholders agreed that more needs to be done to address emerging forms of digital harm.
Findings from a national mapping exercise conducted by United Nations Population Fund across Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar highlighted policy gaps, emerging risks, and opportunities to strengthen prevention, protection, and survivor-centered responses within existing systems.
As discussions concluded, a clear message emerged: tackling technology-facilitated gender based violence requires sustained collaboration across sectors.
Government agencies, technology companies, civil society, media institutions and development partners must work in tandem to build safer digital ecosystems.
Therefore from a social perspective, this development indicates that Tanzania is at a transitional stage in addressing gender-based violence, where the challenges have rapidly moved into digital spaces while the systems to combat them are still being strengthened.
Overall, the event is a positive sign of the right direction, but it also carries the message that success will depend on concrete action beyond dialogue.
Without strengthening legal frameworks, digital literacy, and accountability among all stakeholders, the challenge of technology-facilitated gender based violence will continue to grow alongside technological advancement.
The outcomes of the symposium signal a growing recognition that digital safety is not optional but foundational.
Strengthening protections against online violence is increasingly seen as essential to advancing gender equality, protecting human rights, and ensuring that women and girls can fully participate in education, economic opportunities, leadership and civic life in an increasingly digital world.
