Nearly thirty years after the Beijing Declaration on gender equality, Malawi is facing a new wave of abuse against women and girls not on the streets or in workplaces, but online. As social media becomes deeply woven into daily life, women and girls are increasingly exposed to cyber bullying, body shaming, sexist insults and targeted harassment.
Interviews with a woman who once worked in the media industry and Jessica Mponda, the current Miss Malawi, reveal a troubling rise in digital violence that threatens the progress Malawi has made on women’s rights.
For the former media worker, the harassment began after she posted a picture and a short narration on Facebook detailing the alleged sexual harassment she faced while working at a local media institution.
Minutes after posting, her story spread across several pages and the comments turned vicious. Strangers mocked her appearance, dismissed her claims, accused her of wanting to wreck her former boss’s marriage, and said her dressing attracted the abuse.
She says the backlash was overwhelming. “People talked about my dressing, but they did not know that the experience I went through left me depressed. For almost a year, I had no motivation to work,” she said.
She added that attempts to seek help internally did not yield results. “I tried for six months. I was only referred from one person to another, and the system started pushing back. At some point, I was called for warning meetings and denied some duties.”
Although she is outspoken, she says her husband encouraged her not to respond to the online attacks. “At least I had someone by my side. But many girls out there are broken because of bullying,” she said.
Despite the experience, she remains active online and uses her platform for charitable work, including mobilizing food donations through her page.
She explained that her intention was never to embarrass anyone. “Had it been that I wanted to go to court, I could have done so because I have evidence, “but it would break a lot of people and I didn’t want that. All what I am hoping for is for the institution I once worked for, reflects on its systems because there are many women still working there”, She added.
Efforts to obtain a right of reply from the institution were made through the office of the Managing Director, but no response or acknowledgement was received by the time of publishing this story.
Even public figures are not spared. Jessica Mponda, crowned Miss Malawi in 2022, shared her own experience of online hostility. She says she received mixed reactions, including people discrediting her win.
“Being a competition, I expected reactions because people had their favourite contestants,” she said. Ironically, she only learned about the online attacks weeks later because her phone had been stolen during her crowning night.
Jessica believes digital bullying has forced many women and girls to shrink themselves in spaces where they should be vibrant. “Women and girls have been silenced. Everything they do, say or wear is judged by people who don’t even know them. Digital bullying has made many girls think less of themselves, and that’s a shame,” she said.
She argues that the real issue is society’s mentality. “Policies are there, but do perpetrators face the law? The efforts by authorities will never be enough if the mentality doesn’t change,” she said.
Digital violence is now one of the fastest-growing forms of gender-based violence in Malawi. Women face body shaming, sexualized insults, threats, defamation and online stalking.
A recent example involves journalist Cathy Maulidi, who was working with the Times group now serving as Press Secretary at State House, who was targeted by online falsehoods after writing an article about the state of Kamuzu Palace while working with the Times group.
Social media users circulated claims that she was paid by a political party to tarnish the image of the former ruling administration.
The Association for Women in Media (AWOME) acknowledges the rising cases. Chairperson Dorothy Kachitsa says female journalists increasingly face harassment, misinformation, stalking and coordinated attacks online. She said the association has handled two cases of online harassment this year alone.
“We worked hand in hand with the Media Council of Malawi and MISA Malawi and engaged the victims, but we wish we had successfully prosecuted the perpetrators. Tracking them has been a big challenge,” she said.
Kachitsa said AWOME condemns all forms of digital abuse against women and calls for collective action. “We reaffirm our commitment to empowering women in the media, promoting digital safety awareness and advocating for stronger systems and policies that safeguard women’s voices both online and offline,” she added.
Although the Electronic Transactions and Cybersecurity Act criminalizes cyber harassment and stalking, few women pursue legal action. According to the Women Lawyers Association, fear of stigma, delays in the justice system and limited awareness prevent many victims from reporting.
Its president, Golda Rapozo, said more awareness is needed. “Even a single reported case goes a long way in ending gender-based violence. But the gap between the law and real protection remains wide,” she said.
Government acknowledges the seriousness of the issue. Minister of Gender Mary Navitcha says digital violence is increasingly becoming a threat to women’s rights.
She said government is conducting awareness campaigns, training law enforcement officers and partnering with civil society groups to support survivors.
“We cannot talk about gender equality if women do not feel safe online,” she said. She added that more collaboration is needed, especially with MACRA, to help trace perpetrators and ensure stiffer punishment.
MACRA, as the communications regulator, is mandated to promote safe digital use, monitor harmful content and enforce standards. However, critics argue enforcement remains weak.
MACRA spokesperson Limbani Nsapato says the institution continues raising awareness about Malawi’s cyber laws and works closely with the Malawi Police Cybercrime Unit, which handles harassment cases.
National Police Spokesperson Lael Chimtembo requested more time to provide statistics on cases successfully prosecuted but he had not yet responded by the time of publication.
However, speaking during the official launch of the 16th days against Gender Based Violence campaign (GBV) in Balaka district, Minister of Gender, Mary Navitcha indicated that 73 percent of women face various digital forms of violence and one of three children also face various forms of cyber bullying hence the need to join efforts to eliminate the malpractice.
As Malawi marks the 16 Days of Activism, experiences shared by women like the former media worker and Jessica Mponda highlight the urgent need for coordinated action.
Protecting women online requires stronger enforcement of cyber laws, accessible reporting mechanisms, digital literacy, and collaboration among government, MACRA, civil society and the media. Digital spaces should empower -not endanger - women and girls.
Three decades after the Beijing Declaration, Malawi’s fight for gender equality has entered a new frontier. The threats may be digital, but the harm is real. As more women speak out, the message is clear: the country must act now to make the internet a safer space for every woman and girl.
