Leveraging Blockchain Technology to Enhance Reporting of Gender-Based Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa

Ruth Nombuso Zuma; Emem Anwana

doi:10.25159/2412-8457/21080

Authors

Ruth Nombuso Zuma Durban University of Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5415-9728
Emem Anwana Durban University of Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2412-8457/21080

Keywords:

blockchain technology, gender-based violence reporting, intersectionality theory, law enforcement, sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a pervasive global problem, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where inadequate reporting mechanisms, institutional responses, stigma, poverty, patriarchy and unequal access to essential services constrain efforts to address violence against women and girls. This article examines GBV reporting, law enforcement responses, and the potential of blockchain technology to strengthen reporting systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a desktop literature review, the study analyses secondary data from peer-reviewed literature, policy documents and institutional reports through thematic content analysis. The study is grounded in intersectionality theory, which highlights how intersecting forms of oppression shape women’s and girls’ experiences of GBV. From an African perspective, the article considers how poverty, patriarchy and unequal access to education, healthcare and digital technologies influence reporting and institutional responses. The study argues that blockchain technology offers a potentially valuable complementary mechanism for enhancing the confidentiality, transparency, security and integrity of GBV reporting systems. However, technological solutions cannot be separated from the sociopolitical contexts in which GBV occurs. Digital exclusion, unequal technological infrastructure, surveillance risks and technological colonialism may limit the effectiveness and accessibility of blockchain-based systems. The study therefore critically examines both the opportunities and limitations of blockchain technology within survivor-centred and intersectional approaches to GBV reporting. Although scholarship on blockchain-enabled GBV reporting remains limited, emerging evidence indicates potential for more secure and transparent reporting mechanisms. The article calls for context-sensitive technological interventions that complement, rather than replace, institutional and survivor-centred responses to GBV.

Author Biography

Emem Anwana, Durban University of Technology

Professor

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