In both Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, a particularly aggressive form of online harassment, known as gendered disinformation, is severely impacting women in the public sphere. My recent investigation, drawing from a comprehensive report titled “Désinformation genrée au Sénégal et en Côte d’Ivoire, forme impact et enjeu” by Article 19 and Polaris asso, reveals the alarming extent of this issue. Sadia Mandjo, a journalist specializing in women’s rights across Africa and the report’s author, highlighted these findings during an interview.
The study’s findings are stark: 61% of women surveyed in these two West African nations report being targets of gendered disinformation. As Mandjo clarifies, “Gendered disinformation is distinct because it specifically targets women, and unlike disinformation aimed at men, it doesn’t attack their ideas; instead, it assaults their bodies, their sexuality, and their private lives.”
A striking imbalance emerges from the research. While false narratives directed at men often focus on political, economic, or diplomatic matters, those targeting women – whether politicians, journalists, or activists – consistently undermine their legitimacy through attacks on their morality or personal lives.
The “72 hours” phenomenon: a unique senegalese tactic
Senegalese women describe a unique form of digital mob justice they call the “72 hours” phenomenon. Mandjo detailed this during our conversation: “For 72 hours, a female activist, journalist, or politician will be subjected to intense scrutiny of her life. But instead of truth, her life is distorted through photomontages and fabricated narratives, designed to portray her as immoral.”
While some Senegalese male political figures also face similar attacks, the intensity and nature of these campaigns against women are “quite violent.” The report concludes that the explicit objective of such campaigns is clear: “The goal is to silence them. The goal is to force them out of the digital space.”