Online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA) against women and girls in Kenya is rising at an alarming rate, with perpetrators increasingly using social media, dating apps, and encrypted messaging to recruit, groom, and exploit victims. Two new reports released on Thursday, October 30, 2025, by the international human rights organization Equality Now and its Kenyan partners expose the devastating scale of the crisis and the systemic failures leaving survivors vulnerable.

The studies, titled Experiencing Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Kenya: Survivor Narratives and Legal Responses and Not Just Online: Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Across Digital and Physical Realities, detail how technology has become a weapon for sex trafficking, sexual extortion, and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes. The research was conducted in partnership with Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART) Kenya, Life Bloom Services International, Trace Kenya, and the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet).

Economic Vulnerability as a Weapon

A key finding across the reports is the exploitation of financial vulnerability. Survivor testimonies reveal a consistent pattern where predators lure women and girls with false promises of employment or financial assistance. Of the 20 survivor stories documented, 18 were targeted with fake job offers or money. More than half of these cases were work-related scams, with four women being trafficked internationally and sexually assaulted after responding to job adverts communicated via platforms like WhatsApp.

Once trapped, survivors report being blackmailed with intimate images, coerced into creating sexual content, and even having their abuse livestreamed. The use of mobile money services facilitates extortion, while the anonymity and cross-border nature of digital platforms allow perpetrators to operate with impunity.

Gaps in Kenya's Legal Armoury

While Kenya has several laws that could address OSEA—including the Sexual Offences Act (2006), the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act (2010), and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act (2018)—the reports conclude they are fragmented, outdated, and poorly enforced. Legal definitions have not kept pace with technology, failing to explicitly criminalise emerging harms like livestreamed abuse, online grooming of adults, and deepfakes.

Survivors seeking justice face immense barriers. Testimonies collected by the partner organisations detail widespread victim-blaming, corruption, and dismissive attitudes from law enforcement officials. One survivor recounted being asked by police to pay KSh 8,000 to track down the men who had drugged and raped her. The lack of digital forensic capacity and trauma-informed judicial processes means many cases collapse or are never investigated, leaving victims without legal redress.

Recent amendments to the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act in October 2025 introduced stronger provisions against phishing and cyber harassment and empowered the state to block websites hosting child pornography. However, Equality Now cautions that enforcement must be survivor-centred and respect human rights, avoiding arbitrary censorship.

An Urgent Call for Comprehensive Reform

Equality Now and its partners are calling for urgent and comprehensive legal and policy reform. Key recommendations include:

• Updating the Sexual Offences Act and Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act to explicitly define and criminalise all forms of OSEA.
• Building the capacity of police and the judiciary in digital evidence handling and trauma-informed, survivor-centred approaches.
• Mandating that tech companies implement clear and effective policies to report and remove harmful content.
• Providing free legal aid and holistic support for survivors to navigate the justice system.

The organisations also urge Kenya to ratify the African Union's Malabo Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection to strengthen cross-border cooperation in tackling these transnational crimes. Without these urgent reforms, the reports warn, the digital world will remain a dangerous frontier for Kenyan women and girls, where abuse that starts on a screen inflicts deep, lasting, and real-world harm.