Why the fight against GBV needs a tech upgrade

Gender Based Violence survivors and stakeholders match in Kisii town during the launch of 16 days of Gender Activism. [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

Thirty years after the Beijing Declaration, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) persists as a major threat to dignity, social cohesion, and national progress. The National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF), tasked with supporting survivors of GBV, FGM, child marriage, and forced marriage, recognises that the future of protection must be technologically driven. The fight against gender-based violence urgently requires a tech upgrade.

Kenya’s frontline protection has long depended on physical safe houses offering refuge, medical care, psychosocial support, and legal aid. These remain vital. However, violence now extends into digital spaces, and abuse follows survivors through smartphones and online platforms, invading homes, schools, and workplaces. No physical sanctuary can shield someone from digital abuse.

Statistics highlight the crisis: over 40 per cent of Kenyan women aged 15–49 have suffered physical violence, 14 per cent sexual violence, and 11 million have faced intimate partner abuse. GVRC reports 41 per cent of ever-married women experience partner violence. Crises like COVID-19 caused helpline calls to surge by 360 per cent, and over 200 sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases were recorded during the 2017 elections. As 2027 nears, Kenya must reinforce systems for prevention, reporting, and justice, especially as climate change, displacement, and food insecurity increase vulnerability.

Yet, these figures don’t fully capture the rise of digital violence: deepfakes, sextortion, cyberstalking, impersonation, non-consensual image sharing, and coordinated online harassment now target women and girls, especially students, influencers, professionals, and public figures. Violence is now borderless, anonymous, and faster than traditional safety systems can address.

This reality makes partnerships essential. Kenya must collaborate with governments, multilaterals, civil society, and the private sector to co-create digital tools for real-time reporting, AI-driven hotspot mapping, smart-city tech, and robust national data systems. Such alliances ensure the promise of Beijing+30 extends into the digital era, even as global funding cuts threaten shelters, hotlines, and community programs. Strengthening South–South and public–private cooperation is now critical.

Responsible innovation is already making a difference. Ride-hailing services now offer GPS tracking, emergency buttons, and trip-sharing for added safety. The urgency is clear: in 2024, Kenya recorded 171 cases of extreme violence against women; from 2016 to 2024, 930 women were murdered, most aged 18–35, with 77 per cent knowing their killers. Femicide remains a severe, preventable form of SGBV.

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Legal reforms are reinforcing progress. Specialised SGBV Courts expedite justice with trauma-informed, survivor-centred processes. Police gender desks are expanding nationwide. The 1,195 helpline remains vital for crisis intervention. Civil society supports these efforts through education, legal aid, and tech-enabled reporting.

At the grassroots, communities like Samburu and Sabaot, working with NGOs, are reducing FGM, early marriage, and other harmful practices. Technology and social media can scale these successes through advocacy, creative content, and national dialogues on SGBV.

Still, SGBV limits education, economic participation, and dignity. As the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women approaches, the global figure of 736 million women expected to experience violence is a call to action. Kenya must modernise, integrate, and scale safety systems across both physical and digital realms.

Kenya’s tech sector has a historic chance to transform protection systems. Firms with digital infrastructure and smart city expertise can build secure reporting platforms, enable AI surveillance in public spaces, enhance online safety for youth, and power emergency response networks. When tech companies join forces with government and civil society, they help create an ecosystem where innovation protects women and girls from all forms of harm. In this paradigm, every phone is a panic button, every camera a witness, every data point a shield.

Ending violence requires seeing safety as technological infrastructure, not just physical space. With determination, investment, and bold partnerships, Kenya can redefine protection and lead globally in using innovation to save lives. The future of protection is hybrid—the tech upgrade must begin now.

The writer is the Chief Executive Officer, National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF)