Kenya: Online Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls Rising in Kenya, New Reports Warn

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30 October 2025
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Contributor

Nairobi — Online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA) of women and girls in Kenya is escalating, with predators using social media, dating apps, and digital tools to recruit, groom, and abuse victims, according to two new reports by Equality Now and partners.

The studies -- Experiencing Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Kenya: Survivor Narratives and Legal Responses and Not Just Online: Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Across Digital and Physical Realities -- expose how technology is being weaponised to facilitate sex trafficking, sexual extortion, and non-consensual sharing of intimate images, including deepfakes.

Survivor testimonies collected by HAART Kenya, Life Bloom Services International, and Trace Kenya reveal devastating personal impacts and major barriers to justice.

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Many victims face victim-blaming, corruption, and weak law enforcement, while outdated laws fail to address new digital harms.

Predators often exploit financial vulnerabilities, luring women with fake job offers or monetary promises. Survivors report being blackmailed, livestreamed during abuse, or trafficked abroad.

Equality Now warns that Kenya's legal system remains fragmented and ill-equipped to respond to OSEA, despite existing laws such as the Sexual Offences Act, Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act, and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act.

The organisation is calling for comprehensive legal reform, improved digital forensic capacity, free legal aid, and trauma-informed support for survivors.

It also urges Kenya to ratify the Malabo Convention to enhance cross-border cooperation and digital evidence-sharing.

Recent amendments to the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2024) introduce stronger provisions against phishing, cyber harassment, and harmful content.

However, Equality Now stresses that enforcement must uphold human rights and avoid arbitrary censorship.

"Survivors deserve justice, safety, and dignity -- both online and offline. Kenya has the opportunity to lead Africa in building a rights-based, survivor-centred approach to online safety," said Equality Now.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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