Women in South Sudan are facing a surge of online harassment that mirrors the physical and psychological violence they endure offline, a senior official has warned.
Lorna James Elias, Deputy Chairperson of the South Sudan Political Parties Council, said digital attacks are reinforcing harmful cultural norms and silencing women.
“What happens online does not stay online. It destroys women’s confidence, silences them, and makes them fear public participation,” she told a meeting organised by UN Women on Saturday.
The event was part of the global 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence.
Ms Elias said women in public life face body-shaming, intimidation, and threats both on the internet and in their homes.
“Some of us who hold political positions are actually beaten by our husbands, but when we go to the office, we lie that we knocked our heads on the door,” she said, adding that many women feel trapped in abusive marriages.
She warned that similar patterns of control and abuse are emerging online, with partners monitoring women’s phones and social media, stripping them of their dignity and freedom.
“Online gender-based violence actually mirrors offline gender violence,” she stated.
UN Women’s Country Representative for South Sudan, Delphine Serumaga, echoed the warning, saying digital platforms are increasingly used to “intimidate, silence, and smear” women.
She stressed that online violence should not be dismissed as mere “bad words” but recognized as behaviour with real-world consequences.
“When women are threatened or defamed online, the message sent is that they do not belong in public life,” Ms Serumaga said.
She cited global data showing more than 80% of women parliamentarians have faced online harassment, with nearly half having received rape or death threats.
Similar patterns are now being seen in South Sudan, she added, with a rise in cyberbullying, hate speech, and image-based abuse targeting women and girls.
The passage of a cybercrime and computer misuse bill by the legislative assembly this week marks a potential step toward addressing some of these issues. The legislation criminalises a range of activities, including the publication of “indecent content,” online impersonation, and specifically, gender-based harassment.
Ms Serumaga called for digital safety to be a key part of South Sudan’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. This would require stronger laws, investment in digital literacy, and better support for survivors.
Both officials urged a collective effort to ensure women and girls can participate in public life, both online and offline, without fear.