Government condemns social media content normalising GBV

Gender Principal Secretary Anne Wang'ombe. [Courtesy]

The government has condemned a social media trend normalising gender-based violence (GBV) under the guise of entertainment.

In a statement issued on Friday, January 23, Gender Principal Secretary Anne Wang’ombe said the government had noted a rise in content presented as entertainment but misleadingly portrays GBV, warning that creators involved risk legal action.

Among the flagged content are scripted skits depicting women being abused and later forgiving their partners after receiving gifts or money.

According to Wang'ombe, such content falsely presents GBV as a transactional issue rather than a serious criminal offence.

"Such content is reprehensible. It erodes the significant progress made in the national fight against GBV by making a mockery of intimate partner violence and sexual assault," said the PS.

The second category involves staged sexual harassment videos, mainly circulated on platforms such as TikTok, where women are inappropriately touched in public spaces and the acts are shared online as pranks or trends.

“These acts are reprehensible and erode the significant progress made in the national fight against gender-based violence,” she said, adding that portraying such crimes as humorous or trendy distorts public understanding and undermines empathy for survivors.

According to her, such GBV content makes it harder for authorities and the public to identify and prioritise genuine cases, potentially delaying assistance to real survivors.

“We will not allow these gains to be undermined,” she said, demanding the immediate removal of all content that jokes about, minimises, or normalises GBV, warning individuals involved to cease creating or sharing such material.