Cyber bullying, the new silent killer in the country targeting women

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A report by World Wide Web Foundation is warning of a worsening online bullying of women in Kenya.

In its latest report released in Kisumu last week, the global foundation revealed that one in five Kenyan women have reported online harassment.

The report, “Women’s Rights Online Report Card” is petitioning the government to urgently combat onlinegender based violence.

“The government must ensure women and girls are able to take legal action against perpetrators,” the report.

The report has also illustrated that women in Kenya were unable to compete and engage men on the Internet because of poverty and high cost of using onlineplatforms.

“In Nairobi slums, only 20 per cent of women are connected to the Internet compared to 57 per cent of men,” the report made public during a training on women for radio journalists on online bullying, said. It adds: “Only 25 per cent of female internet users reported having searched the web for important information related to their rights.” The report wants the government to help close the gender gap on online usage.