By Janet Oyeleye
Alarmed by the growing incidence of revenge porn, sextortion, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, the Senate and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have called for urgent measures to strengthen Nigeria’s response to image-based sexual abuse and other forms of cyber-interpersonal violence.
The call was made at a stakeholders’ workshop held in Lagos to develop a comprehensive Nigerian framework to combat intimate image abuse, a form of online violence that experts said is increasingly destroying lives, damaging reputations, and leaving victims with severe emotional and psychological scars.
Participants described the abuse as one of the fastest-growing forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. They warned that advances in digital technology and artificial intelligence have made it easier for perpetrators to create, manipulate, and disseminate explicit images without victims’ consent.
They stressed that while the internet has revolutionised communication and social interaction, it has also created new avenues for abuse, blackmail, and exploitation, with women and girls bearing the greatest burden of the emerging threat.
The Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics pledged legislative support to tackle the problem, while the UNODC advocated a survivor-centred, rights-based approach that prioritises prevention, protection, accountability, and access to justice for victims.
Stakeholders noted that victims of intimate image abuse often suffer consequences that extend beyond the digital space. In many cases, survivors face public humiliation, cyberbullying, social isolation, and extortion, with some losing educational opportunities, employment, and relationships because of the unauthorised circulation of their intimate content.
Experts warned that the rise of artificial intelligence-generated “deepfake” technology has added a dangerous dimension to the problem by enabling perpetrators to produce realistic but fake explicit images and videos that can be used to harass, blackmail, and destroy the reputations of innocent persons.
They therefore called for stronger laws, improved investigative and forensic capabilities, enhanced cooperation between law enforcement agencies and technology companies, and the establishment of rapid response mechanisms for removing abusive content from digital platforms.
The stakeholders also emphasised the need for greater public awareness and digital literacy, arguing that many victims remain silent because of fear of stigma, victim-blaming, and retaliation.
Globally, image-based sexual abuse has emerged as a major human rights and public safety concern. International studies indicate that millions of people, particularly women and young people, have experienced some form of online sexual exploitation, with many incidents going unreported.
In Nigeria, concerns over cyber-enabled abuse have intensified amid increasing internet penetration, widespread use of smartphones, and the growing influence of social media platforms. Rights groups and digital safety advocates have repeatedly warned that existing legal and institutional frameworks have struggled to keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies and emerging forms of online abuse.
Participants maintained that Nigeria must act decisively to close legal and policy gaps and build a robust framework capable of protecting citizens from digital exploitation.
They argued that ensuring safety in the digital space is no longer merely a technology issue but a pressing human rights and justice imperative requiring coordinated action by government institutions, lawmakers, law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, and the private sector.
