Lesotho parliament lags on cybercrime law
Southern African nations struggle to update laws against online gender-based violence despite a model law.
Lesotho's laws have not kept pace with technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), according to a policy brief from the SADC Parliamentary Forum and Equality Now. While 11 of the 16 SADC member states have cybercrime laws, only five specifically address TFGBV, leaving women vulnerable to online abuse like image sharing without consent and blackmail. Lesotho's Counter Domestic Violence Act of 2022 does define technological abuse and allows courts to prevent electronic contact.
The region faces a significant gap in legal protections against online harms, with many countries lacking specific prohibitions on sharing intimate images without consent or on online coercion. Traffickers exploit social media to lure victims, yet anti-trafficking laws often ignore technology. A lack of dedicated data collection systems hinders governments' understanding of the problem's scale. Even existing laws can be difficult to apply, as seen in Malawi where intent to cause fear for safety is required, overlooking the humiliation of image-based abuse.
Lesotho hosted the SADC Parliament Forum in December 2021, where the SADC Model Law on Gender-Based Violence, including online cybercrimes, was adopted. However, nearly five years later, none of the 16 member states have fully implemented this model law, with most rated as 'partial' and some still drafting legislation. This slow progress leaves women across the region exposed to online abuse with inadequate legal recourse.
Why it mattersWomen and girls in Lesotho and across Southern Africa are at risk of technology-facilitated gender-based violence due to outdated laws.