Why Africa must address cyberbullying

Cyberbullying has become a prevalent issue within the African digital space. Many users are constantly bullied because of their opinions, facial looks, and associations. According to a 2019 poll conducted by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 1 out of 3 youths in the countries surveyed are victims of cyberbullying. UNICEF further points out that 34% of respondents from Sub-Saharan Africa have experienced cyberbullying.

Sadly, cyberbullying leads to depression, infringement on freedom of expression and association, loss of self-esteem, and death on some occasions. There are projections that 135 million more persons in Africa will have access to the internet by 2025.

It is, therefore, pertinent that African countries tackle cyberbullying. Cyberbullying in Africa can be successfully tackled through three key action points: legislation, orientation, and inclusion of cyberbullying in curricula of primary, secondary, and tertiary schools.

African countries must have legal frameworks for cyberbullying. Unfortunately, less than 20% of African countries have laws that criminalize cyberbullying. These countries include Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Egypt, Nigeria, Botswana, and Uganda. Thus, African countries that have not enacted anti-cyberbullying laws should enact one. Also, measures should be put in place to ensure the enforcement of these laws.

States with anti-cyberbullying laws should review the existing ones in line with current happenings in the digital space, such as Metaverse and Web3. Lawmakers should note ambiguity and provide clarity for these laws. This legislative review will ensure stringency and dissuade bullying.

Anti-cyberbullying legislation is solid in states like Canada and the United Kingdom. African countries can take a leaf from these states. The United Kingdom has laws such as the Malicious Communications Act 1998 and the Communications Act 2003. The offense of cyberbullying attracts hefty fines or six months in jail as stipulated in the Malicious Communications Act 1998. Canada, on the other hand, has the Education Act, which provides for the expulsion of cyber bullies and possible jail time for cyber bullies.

The African Union should designate cyberbullying as a rising threat. The African Union should invest in anti-cyberbullying research projects such as hackathons. They could also organise conferences and develop policy briefs that address the situation. United Nations reported that one in three victims of bullying have self-harmed as a result, and 1 in 10 has attempted suicide.

Hence, the African Union needs to fund projects highlighting the best process for damage mitigation for victims. Examples of such projects include the UPRIGHT project and the CREEP projects in Europe.

These projects explored resilience training and electronic communication as means of cyber protection. The African Union and other regional organisations like the Economic Community of West African States and the Southern African Development Community should make anti-cyberbullying legislation that member states in their respective regions can adopt.

The African Union, for instance, could extend the scope of its cybersecurity and legal framework beyond data privacy to feature anti-cyberbullying.

There is also a need for intensified orientation programs on cyberbullying and how to report such cases in Africa. Fortunately, there are some functional African-based digital rights advocacy groups. Examples include the Paradigm Initiative, the African Digital Rights Network, and Access Now, amongst others. These groups should educate people more on the dangers of cyberbullying and the consequences of cyberbullying through online sessions.

They should also organize orientation programmes using anti-cyberbullying features such as mute, report content, flag content, and block features. These orientation campaigns should be targeted at demographics.

For instance, an advocacy group could take up orientation campaigns and seminars in high schools and across Africa. Another advocacy group could use targeted ads and traditional media to communicate with people over 50.

In addition, states should educate their populace on what constitutes cyberbullying and the penalties for committing the act. States should organize orientation programmes on cyberbullying in schools and partner with radio and television stations on anti-cyberbullying sensitization programmes. Ministries of education should also add cyberbullying as one of the emerging crimes in the curricula.

The inclusion of courses on cyberbullying will help students to learn about the dangers of cyberbullying from as early an age as possible.

By 2025, a total of 700 million people in Africa will have access to the internet. This number foregrounds the need for African countries to start to pay attention to cyberbullying as an issue affecting citizens' rights. Furthermore, law enforcement agencies, lawmakers, and digital rights advocacy groups have a role in ensuring cyber safety.

Social media platforms need to be safer for people without the fear of attack or targeted harassment, as the right to freedom of expression is absolute for all Africans and, therefore, should be protected.

Peter Arojojoye is a writing fellow at the African Liberty