A research titled 'Alternate Realities' revealed that out of 3000 women aged 18 to 65 from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, and South Africa; 28.2% have experienced online gender based violence (GBV). While 36% reported experiencing sexual harassment, 33.2% reported insults or repeated insults (26.7%). According to the research 71.2% of all incidents of GBV occurred on Facebook, perhaps due to its weak security system and user anonymity.

In responding to GBV, 66% of women blocked the harassers, 14.5% deleted or deactivated their accounts, and 12.2% stopped accessing the Internet. This is an obstacle to the rights of women to be online.

The consulting firm said online harassment laws should be strengthened and law enforcement officers should be trained to provide timely support to victims.