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Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence in Africa: When AI Becomes a Weapon

About the Case Study

This case details how AI systems are weaponized to perpetuate gender-based violence across 11 African countries. It highlights cases like the deepfake attack on Ethiopian Mayor Adanech Abiebie and the coordinated harassment against Brenda Biya, daughter of Cameroon’s President, revealing how engagement-optimized algorithms amplify harmful content. The research by Code for Africa exposes systematic failures in content moderation due to cultural and linguistic gaps, and proposes architectural changes, community ownership, and regulatory frameworks to embed human rights principles into AI design, aiming to reclaim AI for human dignity.

An African AI Toolbox: Integrating Human Rights considerations along the AI lifecycle

The Toolbox applies a Human Rights-based AI Lifecycle Framework, integrating reflective questions and the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) developed with the Alan Turing Institute.

It emphasizes participatory, multidisciplinary approaches and is rooted in feminist, decolonial, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) principles and incorporates lessons from emerging digital rights challenges, ensuring AI systems are designed with safety and dignity at their core.

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