Published in PLOS One on 2026-08-19, this study is presented as an attributed evidence briefing. The excerpts below are the original researchers’ words, reproduced under their Creative Commons Attribution licence. Health Signal has selected the abstract and, where needed, opening background paragraphs; the complete methods, results, limitations and references remain in the linked paper.
Original authors: Yonas Abebe Tarefa, Abdul-Fatawu Abdulai
Source: PLOS One • DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0354526
Read the complete primary study ↗ · Creative Commons Attribution licence
From the researchers
Abstract
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence is extension of existing power dynamics and patriarchal systems that continue to oppress and marginalize women and girls. However, the mechanisms through which technology enables such violence and its effects on victims remain underexplored, particularly in the context of sub-Saharan Africa.
This review aimed to examine how technology facilitates gender-based violence and to explore its impact on women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa.
This scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodological guidance for scoping reviews and adhered to the PRISMA-ScR checklist for standardized reporting. The literature search was conducted across multiple databases, including EBSCO, Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, other source including Google Scholar, and AJOL. Eligibility criteria were defined using the Population, Concept, and Context (PCC) framework. Thematic analysis was employed to identify and organize emerging concepts and themes. Data were analyzed using Atlas.ti version 7.5.4 and the results were presented in tables, narrative descriptions, and diagrams.
From a total of 344 articles identified through databases and other sources, 17 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The review finding shows how technologies enable gender-based violence. These include the anonymity of perpetrators and the increased accessibility of victims, coercive control through digital surveillance, the viral spread of harmful content leading to public shaming, and specific features of digital platforms that facilitate abuse. Another finding was effect of technology facilitates gender-based violence (TFGBV)on victims. Reported effect include psychological harm, negative effects on academic and educational performance., social and reputational damage, as well as barriers to seeking help and long-term trajectories like depression and poor academic performance
These findings indicate that technology plays a substantial role in facilitating gender-based violence, and the impact on victims is significant.
OSF (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/47ZB8).
Introduction
In an increasingly digitalized world, technology is transforming not only modes of communication but also the very contexts of social interaction. For women and girls, this transformation presents both opportunities and risks. While digital platforms can amplify voices, strengthen networks, and expand access to support, they are also increasingly weaponized as tools of harassment, surveillance, and abuse [1,2]. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) refers to acts of violence that are committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified either partially or entirely through the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) [3]. This includes harassment, exploitation, bullying, surveillance, and the non-consensual distribution of content, carried out via social media platforms, messaging services, email, and other digital spaces reflecting the extension of offline gender inequalities into digital environments [4,5].
Unlike traditional gender-based violence, which has been rooted in physical spaces and often constrained by locality and visibility, TFGBV transcends borders and anonymity. Digital technologies allow perpetrators to act with concealment, reach wider audiences, and sustain abuse across time and space [6–9]. Online harms are further magnified by the persistence and permanence of digital content, which can be rapidly shared, archived, and re-circulated, leaving victims exposed indefinitely [8,10]. This erodes the boundaries of safety, making abuse possible even in private spaces such as victims’ homes [9,11].
Reading this evidence
Use the full paper to check the study design, participant selection, comparator and outcome definitions before drawing a practical conclusion. An association does not by itself show cause and effect. A reported performance measure needs its denominator and uncertainty. A finding from a particular facility, sample or time period should retain that scope when it is discussed elsewhere.
This briefing makes the source accessible within the wider public health desk. It does not assess an individual patient or certify a product. When considering relevance to another health system, examine the original authors’ account of context and limitations, then seek local implementation evidence. The related reporting below provides other studies to read alongside this one; it is a topic connection, rather than a claim that their results are directly comparable.
© 2026 Yonas Abebe Tarefa, Abdul-Fatawu Abdulai. Excerpts reproduced under CC BY. Selection, formatting and contextual notes by Health Signal. The researchers are the authors of the source study, not members of Health Signal’s staff.
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