Twitter tops list of platforms fueling online violence against female politicians—Report

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is concerned about online gender-based violence. This violence is increasingly targeting female politicians in Ghana.

At a public forum in Accra, Dora Boamah Mawutor spoke on this issue. She is the Programme Director for Freedom of Expression at MFWA. The forum was themed “Countering Online Gender-Based Violence.”

Mawutor shared findings from a study conducted between August 2024 and March 2025. The study focused on online gender-based violence against female politicians.

She noted that they monitored five platforms: Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Ghana Web, TikTok, and Instagram. Twitter had the highest number of recorded incidents, followed by Ghana Web and Facebook.

Mawutor explained that the most common abuses were insulting comments. Many of these comments attacked the integrity of female politicians. Some referred to them as prostitutes or used other derogatory terms.

She also mentioned that many accounts behind this abuse used pseudonyms. This anonymity makes it hard to identify perpetrators and take action.

The MFWA has called for urgent measures to address this issue. They urge collaboration among tech companies, government agencies, and civil society organizations. The goal is to create a safer digital space for women in politics.