Since its introduction in Ghana in 1993, the internet has provided numerous opportunities to Ghanaians, including the ability to create networks, share information, as well as communicate. Today, Ghana boasts about 10 million internet users and ranks 28th out of 55 countries on the continent in terms of internet penetration.
Despite the many advantages the internet has brought to the citizenry, it has turned to serve as a double-edged sword by posing threats and risks such as harassment to the most vulnerable groups – mostly women.
A baseline study conducted by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) revealed that online harassment is one of the major risks facing women online in Ghana. The study further revealed that this cyberharassment manifested in the forms of non-consensual sharing of intimate images, cyberstalking, and hate speech; 39% of the women respondents in this study are reported to have experienced some form of cyberharassment, with 68% of them experiencing repeated harassment two or more times.
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