TITLE:
A Comparative Study of Cybersecurity Responses in China, South Africa, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe to Cybercrimes against Young Women and Children
AUTHORS:
Lindsay Thobekile Bria Lunga, Fei Tang
KEYWORDS:
Cybercrime against Women and Children, Comparative Cybersecurity Law, Online Child Protection, Deterrence Theory in Cyber Law
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.13 No.9,
September
28,
2025
ABSTRACT: The World Wide Web has changed the way individuals communicate, the tools used to learn, and almost over 60 percent have become users of the internet. On the other hand, the internet has many hidden dangers to which young women and children have been exposed, such as online harassment, cyberbullying, grooming, exploitation, and revenge porn. This paper is a comparison between China and African countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe on their responses to cyber-threats in their jurisdictions. The study uses a comparative legal research method to examine the differences and similarities in cybersecurity laws in the mentioned countries, and deterrence theory was used to help explain the laws and enforcement. This paper highlights the most common cybercrimes affecting young women and children and the specific laws that protect them.