In Kenya, the internet has become both a lifeline and a landmine for women and girls. As digital access expands, so too has a darker trend — the rise of online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA). A new wave of research by Equality Now and KICTANet exposes how digital tools, once meant for connection and opportunity, are being weaponised by predators to recruit, groom, and abuse women across the country.
The report, Experiencing Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Kenya: Survivor Narratives and Legal Responses, draws on testimonies from twenty survivors, uncovering deeply personal accounts of trauma and a justice system struggling to keep pace with technology-driven crime. Partner organisations HAART Kenya, Life Bloom Services International, and Trace Kenya helped document the experiences, revealing how social media, encrypted apps, and mobile money platforms have become powerful tools in the hands of abusers.
Technology Turned Against Women
From Facebook and TikTok to WhatsApp and dating sites, digital spaces are increasingly used to lure women with false promises of jobs, love, or financial help. The reports show how perpetrators exploit vulnerabilities — particularly economic hardship — to manipulate and trap their victims. Mobile payment systems like M-Pesa are even used to send small sums to gain trust before the abuse begins.
One survivor recounted being trafficked after responding to a job offer in Malaysia. Once there, she was sexually assaulted and threatened into silence. “I only reported when I returned to Kenya,” she said, “but the police asked for proof of the rape or DNA evidence, which I didn’t have.” Her story mirrors that of many others who face disbelief, humiliation, or requests for bribes when they seek justice.
A System That Fails Survivors
For victims like Ivy* — a schoolgirl deceived by a man she met online — the trauma doesn’t end with the abuse. “The police told me to pay KSh 8,000 if I wanted them to track the two men,” she recalled. “I’d already lost so much. The system that was supposed to help me felt like another betrayal.”
Such stories reflect systemic failures across Kenya’s justice system. Survivors are often shamed, pressured by families to drop cases, or face dismissive law enforcement officers. Weak enforcement, limited digital forensic capacity, and corruption further erode trust, leaving many perpetrators unpunished. In court, adversarial proceedings and repeated retelling of traumatic events re-victimize women seeking redress.
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Legal Gaps and the Need for Reform
Kenya has made legislative strides with the Sexual Offences Act (2006), Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act (2010), and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2018, amended in 2024). Yet, the reports note that the laws remain fragmented and outdated in addressing new forms of digital abuse such as deepfakes, livestreamed assaults, and image-based sexual exploitation. Enforcement also lags behind, with many police and judicial officers lacking training in handling OSEA cases or collecting digital evidence.
Experts and advocacy groups are calling for urgent reforms — including trauma-informed, survivor-centred justice processes; better inter-agency coordination; and stronger accountability from tech companies hosting harmful content. Kenya’s recent cybercrime law amendments are seen as a step forward but must be implemented with care to protect human rights and prevent censorship.
A Call for Action
Equality Now’s accompanying policy brief, Not Just Online: Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Across Digital and Physical Realities, highlights the need for stronger protection mechanisms and regional cooperation. Advocates urge Kenya to ratify the Malabo Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection to improve cross-border evidence sharing and platform accountability.
For many survivors, hope lies in a justice system that listens and acts. Until then, the internet remains a double-edged sword — one that can connect, empower, or destroy, depending on how society chooses to respond.