The United Nations Population Fund defines Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) as ‘an act of violence perpetrated by one or more individuals that is committed, assisted, aggravated and amplified in part or fully by the use of information and communication technologies or digital media, against a person on the basis of their gender’. According to Cornell …
The HeCareZa Project Annual Report 2025 provides an overview of our initiatives, highlighting key achievements . Join us as we reflect on a year of progress. Read full report
This report dissects the evolution of South African masculine norms through social media analysis on sites like X. It reveals tensions between calls for positive masculinity—like emotional openness and shared caregiving—and entrenched pressures to provide, dominate, and adhere to the “bro code.” The data exposes how discussions on accountability, fatherhood, and financial burden coexist with …
Masculine Norms on South African Social Media – One Year Later Read More »
This report exposes how child sexual abuse material is openly traded on major platforms like X, Telegram, and WhatsApp. The investigation reveals networks using “menus” and price tags, with X’s own AI even recommending abusive accounts. The findings demand urgent, systemic action from platforms to protect children. Read full report
This report examines online child and teenager predation in South Africa from the period of 1 June 2024 to 31 May 2025. It seeks to understand perspectives about dating and age-related patterns; teenage pregnancy and intergenerational dating; as well as the perpetuation of child pornography, child fantasy and/or content sexualizing minor children. Read full report
This factsheet concerns conversation surrounding the alleged rape of a 7 year old minor child and analysed social media data from March to April 2025. The report examines the prominent topics in the conversation such as alleged suspects as well as the trivialization of abuse. Read full report
This report examines online conversation about tfgbv in South Africa on X (formerly Twitter). Focus areas include the non-consensual sharing of intimate images/videos, cyberbullying, trolling and doxxing and defamation. The report looks at conversation volume, key metrics as well as topical events that drive the conversation online. Read full report
The HeCareZa Project Annual Report 2024 provides an overview of our initiatives, highlighting key achievements . Join us as we reflect on a year of progress. Read full report
Our final fact sheet for the year reviews GBV and misogyny content on the social media platform TikTok. Our findings indicate that a sizable conversation exists on the platform – with attention tied to major events, and linkages between outside media sources being a primary vehicle for the creation of short-form video content, which is …
Gender-Based Violence and Misogyny TikTok Analytics and Narrative Update in South Africa Read More »
The 16 Days of Activism fact sheet provides digestible information on the state of the 16 Days campaign in 2024. Our findings indicate that, as per prior years, 16 Days struggles to capture the attention and engagement of individuals on the social media platform X – being driven predominantly by business, government and NGOs rather …
Gender-Based Violence and Misogyny 16 Days of Activism Narrative Update in South Africa Read More »
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