Yvonne Muchaka
In today’s digital age, technology holds immense potential to connect, inform and empower. Yet, for women in politics this power is often wielded against them as a weapon of intimidation, harassment and silencing. From targeted social media abuse and doxxing the malicious act of publishing private or identifying information online to cyberstalking and disinformation campaigns, technology-facilitated violence against women in politics (VAWP) is on the rise, with dangerous and far-reaching impacts. This is not merely a women’s issue; it’s a democratic crisis.
A society that allows digital abuse to flourish is one that erodes civic engagement, weakens governance and deters half its population from participating meaningfully in public life. When women leaders are vilified online for simply expressing their views, when aspiring female candidates are bullied into silence and when the internet becomes a battleground instead of a platform for progress the message is loud and clear: women are not welcome in political leadership.
However, Zimbabwe has taken steps by enacting the Cyber and Data Protection Act, 2021,Chapter 12:07, An Act to provide for data protection with due regard to the Declaration of Rights under the Constitution and the public and national interest; to establish a Cyber Security Centre; a Data Protection Authority and to provide for their functions; to create a technology driven business environment and encourage technological development and the lawful use of technology; to amend sections 162 to 166 of the Criminal Code (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] to provide for investigation and collection of evidence of cybercrime and unauthorised data collection and breaches, and to provide for admissibility of electronic evidence for such offences and to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing, yet enforcement remains weak. Offenders continue to exploit digital spaces with impunity insulting, defaming, and spreading toxic narratives aimed at discrediting women in leadership.
The online sphere has become a shadow battlefield where women’s reputations are tarnished, their privacy invaded, and their voices drowned out. Yet, the role of women in political leadership is not only vitalit is irreplaceable.
Moreso women are intimately connected to the heartbeat of society. They are mothers, caregivers, community builders and economic drivers. They experience firsthand the challenges faced in everyday lifefrom lack of clean water and access to affordable healthcare, to education, sanitation and the need for economic empowerment. Who better to drive change than those who understand the deepest needs of their communities? Women bring empathy, integrity, and foresight into leadership. These are not weaknessesthey are strengths. Yet, in deeply patriarchal societies, such traits are often misunderstood, ridiculed, or weaponized.
The role of the woman as homemaker is wrongly seen as a limitation, rather than the foundation of her leadership acumen. Her capacity for care, her emotional intelligence and her collaborative approach to problem solving are dismissed, while her ambition is met with suspicion.
What we are witnessing today is not only the objectification of women in political discourse but a systematic effort to delegitimize their presence. Women who challenge the status quo are slandered and subjected to cruel character assassinations. They are labelled with degrading terms, accused of trading their morality for influence and stripped of the dignity they rightly deserve. Their qualifications and contributions are overlooked, reduced instead to salacious gossip and baseless innuendo.
However, this must stop: If we are to cultivate a new generation of female leaders bold, brilliant and ready to take on the world then we must create a society that upholds dignity and respect for women in leadership.
We must challenge the toxic cultures that shame women for stepping into their rightful place.
We must educate boys and men, teaching them that a woman’s value is not determined by her relationships, her appearance, or her silence. Her worth is in her vision, her voice and her unwavering resolve to lead. Democracy can only thrive when every voice is heardand every leader is safe
#End VAWP #TakeItDown #SpeakOut #SupportVAWPSurvivors