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Social media (File photo).

Women and girls in Zimbabwe are facing the growing threat of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has warned.

In a statement to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the ZHRC said technology-facilitated abuse no longer occurs on the periphery: "Women and girls are increasingly self-censoring to avoid online attacks and in the process their voices are being silenced." The commission said that Zimbabwean journalists, activists, politicians, and young women are among the most affected groups.

The rights body acknowledged that existing laws criminalize gender-based violence, but called for stronger action, saying that the laws remain weakly enforced.