ABSTRACT
This chapter explores women’s experiences and online abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The devastation caused by the pandemic on African women cannot be underestimated. To fuel this, violent content of verbal, physical, and emotional abuse of women permeated news media and the Internet, especially on some popular chat groups such as Facebook and Instagram. The social and economic pressure ushered in by the pandemic dealt a heavy blow to African women. The pandemic’s irksome effects went from people’s mental wellness to worrisome economic policies, gender-based violence, and overreliance on cyberspace. This increased online dependence triggered Internet violence, body shaming, and cyberbullying. The lockdown, for instance, saw an increase in the level of online activities by many people. There thus seems to have been a connection between the use of some well-received social media platforms and mental stress if one considers the events that kept unfolding in news media and blogs during this period. This chapter proposes the utilitarian principle that upholds the condemnation of any infringement on individual freedoms, especially women.
