Technology’s Sour Blessing: Technology Facilitated Gender Based Violence in Ethiopia

Background

For over a century, Ethio Telecom, the oldest telecom operator on the continent, has been providing telecommunications services at a sluggish pace in Ethiopia. However, in 2022, the landscape changed when Safaricom, a Kenyan telecom giant, entered the Ethiopian market as a competitor, following the government's decision to open its doors to foreign telecom companies. Despite its long history of over 100 years, Ethio Telecom's development and service have left much to be desired, and its access coverage has been inadequate.

After years of monopoly, Safaricom, though new to the Ethiopian market, offered users a viable alternative to Ethio Telecom's services. Still access challenges have persisted as one of the country's major hurdles. Even in the 21st century, there are people in Ethiopia who need to travel half a day to access telecom services. In major cities, including Addis Ababa, a significant number of residents struggle with limited internet and phone access due to factors such as affordability and infrastructure deficiencies. While the digital divide and technological gap is huge, it is akin to a challenging trek given the various obstacles.

Even though access to telecom services remains limited, it has introduced a new set of challenges. Accessibility, despite being crucial infrastructure in the digital age, has brought forth significant distractions, including Gender-Based Violence (GBV), extremism, information disorder, and other harmful practices. In the context of GBV, technology has amplified the issue. What was once physical harassment—insults, grabbing, pulling, and inappropriate touching—has now found a digital dimension. Women can be bullied by anonymous individuals, and the geographical distance is no barrier to online harassment. Although internet penetration is still limited, distractions, especially in the realm of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), are rapidly increasing, and their impact is at times immeasurable.

In response to the myriad challenges posed by technology, Ethiopia ratified the "Hate Speech and Disinformation Prevention and Suppression" Proclamation in 2020. There was optimism that this law would curb hate speech and disinformation, which were pressing issues in the country. All the hate speech and disinformation and legal repercussions are clearly stated in the Proclamation, for instance, criminal liability Article 4 shows as follows: “If the offense of hate speech or disinformation offense has been committed through a social media account having more than 5,000 followers or through a broadcast service or print media, the person responsible for the act shall be punished with simple imprisonment not exceeding three years or a fine not exceeding 100,000 birr.”

However, the problem has continued to escalate, and the implementation gap is glaring. Despite the existence of the law, belligerent ideas persistently circulate on social media and mainstream platforms. Hate speech remains common, and even prominent individuals, government officials, and activists openly flout the law while facing minimal consequences.

In this short piece, I showcase Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) that is being experienced by many young women in Ethiopia. I am very much interested in understanding social and political issues that are often sidelined and dismissed as unimportant. I have shed light on various important topics, particularly concerning issues such as sex trafficking and migration involving women and children, as well as drug trafficking in the capital, Addis Ababa. There are also a wide range of other topics that merit investigation and are crucial for the media to prioritise.

Despite the existence of the law, belligerent ideas persistently circulate on social media and mainstream platforms. Hate speech remains common, and even prominent individuals, government officials, and activists openly flout the law while facing minimal consequences.

I got interested in the topic of TFBGV after I started noticing and listening to stories of young women who have been impacted by it, yet have no place to go or share the experience of being violated, shamed, and taken advantage of. I started working on research on the topic and talking to friends and colleagues about this issue. Shortly after, the communities I have been engaging with started referring cases to me that have happened or ones they have taken a note of. I then started following-up with the cases and began documenting the stories of a few young women who have experienced TFBGV. Below are some of the stories that I have investigated. For security reasons I have used pseudonyms, but the stories and experiences of these young women are very real. 

How is Social Media Harassment Impacting the Generation?

Hana*, 29, was born in Addis Ababa. She came from a middle-class family, attended a decent school, and had an active social life. She grew up in the capital and attended a private school, so she was exposed to various things, including technology and various social media platforms. Though the generation has been exposed to or is aware of social media and digital platforms, access varies according to lifestyle. Contrary to the limited internet access for the majority of people, Hana and her fellow high school friends have 24/7 internet access, and as a result, they are active on all social media platforms. "My friends and I used to share photos, videos, and inspirational quotes from celebrities. We used to get tons of positive compliments and comments under our pictures and videos, and a few negative comments would hit us, but we would laugh about it and delete it right away," Hana recalls of her time on social media. 

After graduating from high school, Hana was assigned to a university 500 kilometres away from Addis Ababa. Even though she was enrolled in a university and her schedules were busy, she remained active on her social media, and she continued to post pictures of the new chapter of her life. The excitement was palpable. This was the tipping point when she began to receive massive amounts of vile comments and brutal criticism in her Facebook comments under her photos. "Ever since I arrived on campus, my Facebook community has changed dramatically, and I have latently (unnoticeably) changed my interaction from high school friends to dorm mates, department fellows, and campus friends. At first, I liked the fact that I was living in a diverse community. But, right away, I noticed that the interaction and engagement of my Facebook posts were generating negative feedback at an unprecedentedly high rate."

Previously, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with only a few negative comments. The negative comments were overshadowed by the positive ones, and she scrolled up and down. She occasionally shared it with her roommates. As time passed, those strong and brutal comments began to bother her and had a negative impact on her college life. She was also distressed by how others perceived her when she shared the comments. Her two dorm mates even told her to stop posting "inappropriate pictures," which caused her to cry for the first time. "It's very depressing when the comment section is full of hate and painful insults while all you've posted is a picture of yourself," Hana says. The cyberbullying had intensified and was affecting her education. Some of those who insulted her or made indescribably hurtful comments were her classmates, department mates, and students on the same campus. Worse, her picture was sometimes circulated on social media in completely different contexts, and Hana knew who was responsible for the cyberbullying and harassment.

After a while, the cyber harassment began to manifest in the physical world, making it difficult for Hana to even leave the dormitory to go to class because she is subjected to a barrage of outrageous criticisms along the way. She fell into a deep depression, eventually forced to drop out of college and return home. "The last thing that pushed me to return home was that I reported the harassment I was experiencing to the university administration, but no action was taken. My grades were significantly dropping because I stayed locked in my dorm instead of going to class - fearing outright insults and bullying. As a result, I decided to return and try to respond to what I was experiencing."

After she left university, she decided to deactivate every social media platform she used, and isolated herself from her friends and family. She even began to stay in her room with a radio on. Hana changed from a charming, outgoing, and sociable woman to a timid and isolated woman who spent most of her time sitting in one place (most of the time in her bedroom), listening to the radio. The weight she lost, the medical procedures she underwent, and the burden her family endured for two years in a row were immeasurable. Hana was able to resume her classes and complete her first degree in accounting at a private university in Addis Ababa after a two-year hiatus. She is currently working in a small audit firm in Addis Ababa, but she is no longer the same; she has no smartphone, no social media accounts, and she does not watch television except for her only friend, the radio.

The last thing that pushed me to return home was that I reported the harassment I was experiencing to the university administration, but no action was taken. My grades were significantly dropping because I stayed locked in my dorm instead of going to class - fearing outright insults and bullying. As a result, I decided to return and try to respond to what I was experiencing. -- Hana

Hana's story represents thousands of people across the country, regardless of age, location, or lifestyle. Even after more than a century of existence, phone and network penetration in the country is still in its infancy. However, the number of social media users is rapidly increasing, and the impact (for better or worse) is directly proportional to the number of users. Since the digital world has begun to emerge in Ethiopia, it will undoubtedly conquer the country as the rest of the world moves in the same direction. In this regard, Technology Facilitated Gender Based Violence will skyrocket. 

Another victim-survivor of TFGBV that I had a privilege of interviewing is Rebecca*, a freelance journalist and assistant lecturer. She has faced body shaming and other gender-based inappropriate comments on social media. "Whenever I post something on TikTok, the comment section is besieged with brutal comments that have nothing to do with the content I posted and instead talk about my plus size and sexualise me." Rebecca almost stopped using social media as a result of the flood of hateful comments that centred her body with an intention to shame her into hating herself. Furthermore, she prefers to appear on radio rather than television because people comment on her physical appearance rather than the content of what she says. Rebecca shares that comments range from abusive words, such as “Kecho” (means you are skinny, but sarcastic way of calling plus size people), questions about how tough it could be for the bed she sleeps on, and some also mention derogatory words she didn’t want to mention again. She felt these are circulating even after she reported the issue on the platform because these insulting comments are usually written in local languages which the social media platforms often do not recognise. Had it been in English or other more popular languages, such comments will be filtered automatically. Rebecca said, “For those who intentionally write insensitive things, it is funny but it destroys us. I recommend every social media platform to work aggressively to address such gaps particularly in Ethiopia.” Currently, Rebecca actively browses TikTok, but she no longer engages in content creation because of these hurtful comments, body shaming, and negative responses.

According to the latest study, nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from mental illnesses, and Ethiopia is estimated to have 27 million people with mental illnesses out of 120 million people. Atalay Alem, a long-serving psychiatry professor, stated that the youth are the most vulnerable segment of society, and that their exposure to social media contributes to an increase in mental illnesses.

The calamity that Technology Facilitated Gender-Based Violence is causing in society is precariously ripping apart our social fabric and, most notably, having a significant impact on society.

Spying on Women: Unapologetic Bread and Butter of YouTubers 

Another horrifying trend that is becoming popular is a YouTube channel that is dedicated to target married women. In my research, I found that these YouTube channels publish content that looks like investigative work that involves just following these women discreetly, and primarily targets married or women in relationships. The entire theme of the content revolves around spying on women with the consent of their respective husbands or boyfriends who approach these YouTubers and ask them to spy on their wives/girlfriends to see if they are loyal to the relationship. YouTubers gladly accept it, and they demand a lot of money for the services they provide. Furthermore, the client, who is the husband or boyfriend, must consent to the entire process being recorded with their face covered and posted on the same YouTube channel once the mission is completed.

Rebecca felt [that hateful comments] are circulating even after she reported the issue on the platform because these insulting comments are usually written in local languages which the social media platforms often do not recognise. Had it been in English or other more popular languages, such comments will be filtered automatically.

For this article, I disguised myself and approached the Arada Plus YouTube channel, one of the most popular for such content. It has nearly 54 thousand YouTube subscribers. I approached the man who I assumed was the channel's production manager. I took extra precautions not to blow my cover and contacted him as a new client, telling him to check if my girlfriend is faithful or not. He was initially suspicious and asked me questions such as how I found out about them, who gave me his email address, and so on.

I responded eloquently, and he seemed to believe me. I asked what I had to do for the service, and he said, "We charge you between ETB 30,000 and 50,000, depending on her. If she is difficult to attract and mingle with, we will need to put in extra effort and money. For starters, you will first tell me all about her, her male preferences (physical appearance, personality, and style), and we will discuss payment." When describing his services, he never mentioned confidentiality as a principle. He also promised me that he would finish the job in less than a month. The modality or types of services vary. The first will be ghosting a woman, while the second will approach her as a boyfriend and record the entire process. He made it clear that I had the right to cancel the process at any time, but there would be no refund.

I was curious as to why women were the only targets, so I asked him; he said, "This is our job; we are not targeting women, nor is our content gendered. Our main customers, however, are men, and we take orders from them. Men come with deepest bitter feelings, pay us whatever we ask for, and compel us to begin our task. I don't see men blaming themselves for whatever behaviour the women exhibit. It could be because men do not devote enough time to their partners, or because they abuse them physically or psychologically. But they always see things from their perspective and assign us to spy on or test their female partners." Following the findings, many marriages and relationships were shattered, according to his statement.

This is indeed a lucrative business for these YouTubers, but many women have experienced violence that not only destroys their relationship but also their social life. I was told that a woman nearly killed herself in Addis Ababa around similar circumstances. According to the survivor's close friend, a guy approached her, and she was married, but she was open to mingle. After a couple of months of seeing each other, the guy who approached her broke the news to her, telling her that he had been hired by her husband to put her to the test. She was in complete shock and begged the guy not to expose her; she even put her dignity on the line and asked him to have sex with her and keep her secret hidden forever. However, the guy did not accept the offer. She survived because her family found her and took her to the hospital on time. Meanwhile the YouTubers received the payment from her husband for their service and proceeded to jump into another contract with another client. One can only imagine how many women can be targeted and become victims of such malicious acts in this way. 

Final remarks 

Overall, I was compelled to share the stories of these three women and the cases in the hope that by speaking or writing about such a phenomenon, we, as a society, will start expanding and witnessing the different forms of violence against women on varied social media spaces. Investigating and highlighting stories like this, as a journalist, is only one part of the job. The law enforcement authorities in the country, digital policy advocates, and human right institutions should start paying attention to and consider different forms of technology facilitating gender-based violence as a serious problem and act urgently. If anything, I hope this piece will serve as a nudge to change systems and structures that are directly or indirectly enabling violence against women in digital spaces.

The law enforcement authorities in the country, digital policy advocates, and human right institutions should start paying attention to and consider different forms of technology facilitating gender-based violence as a serious problem and act urgently.

As a way forward, proactive efforts by law enforcement agencies to implement very many ratified laws by the country can significantly reduce instances of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence. Furthermore, I strongly believe that the “Hate Speech and Disinformation Prevention and Suppression” proclamation requires a critical revision as it has loopholes that do not cover the grounds for gender-based violence. This will, to a certain extent, ensure the development of a well-structured law capable of effectively mitigating potential threats to society. Last but not the least, social media platforms should consider addressing these issues by diversifying language options, particularly including widely spoken local languages in Ethiopia. This will help facilitate better content monitoring and context comprehension for these platforms.