Women in Senegal face targeted digital abuse over gender stereotypes

In Senegal, a growing epidemic of gendered disinformation is silencing women online, with more than six in ten female internet users reporting targeted harassment campaigns that weaponize stereotypes about their bodies, sexuality, and private lives. A new study reveals how these coordinated attacks are reshaping public discourse, pushing women out of digital spaces that are increasingly vital to civic engagement.

when disinformation targets women’s bodies, not their ideas

According to research conducted across Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, 61% of women who engage in public life have experienced gendered disinformation—false narratives that focus not on their professional or political views, but on their physical appearance, sexual behavior, or domestic roles. Unlike disinformation campaigns aimed at men, which often center on political or economic misinformation, attacks against women disproportionately attack their moral character.

“Gendered disinformation is insidious because it doesn’t challenge what women say—it attacks who they are,” explains Sadia Mandjo, a journalist and researcher specializing in gender and digital rights in West Africa. “It’s not about facts. It’s about control.”

the “72-hour rule”: a digital witch hunt in Senegal

Women in Senegal describe a particularly vicious tactic known locally as the “72-hour rule.” For three days, online trolls systematically dig into the private lives of female activists, journalists, and politicians—not to uncover truth, but to fabricate scandals through manipulated images, deceptive edits, and outright lies. The goal: to brand targeted women as immoral, unfit, or illegitimate.

“This isn’t just criticism. It’s a coordinated campaign to destroy reputations,” says Mandjo. While male politicians are occasionally targeted, the attacks on women are far more intense and sustained. Women politicians are falsely accused of using intimate relationships to gain political positions. Journalists are labeled as foreign agents. Activists are smeared as “Western puppets.” The message is clear: “You don’t belong here. Leave the digital space.”

As a result, many women are self-censoring or withdrawing from online platforms entirely. “To step back from digital platforms is to step back from public life,” Mandjo warns. The most visible women—politicians, journalists, feminists, influencers—are the most vulnerable.

who is behind the attacks?

The study identifies the primary perpetrators as men aged 17 to 45, often from the same country as their targets. While the majority are male, a smaller but significant number of women also participate, described in the report as “patriarchal women”—individuals who uphold traditional gender roles and actively police other women’s behavior online.

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are also under scrutiny. Although many disinformation campaigns are created in local languages such as Wolof, these platforms lack adequate reporting mechanisms for content in African languages. “The tools were built in the West. They don’t reflect our realities,” Mandjo notes.

a call for legal recognition of digital gender-based violence

The report urges governments in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire to formally recognize digital gender-based violence as a form of gender-based violence—on par with sexual assault, femicide, and physical abuse. Such recognition would enable the creation of specific laws, training for police officers to handle such cases, and education programs in digital literacy and fact-checking.

“Digital violence isn’t isolated. It’s part of a continuum of violence that women face every day—on the street, in the home, and now online,” Mandjo emphasizes. “If we don’t act, we risk losing half of our public voice to silence.”