Girls' Digital Rights IndexA proposed index by AREAi Download the evidenceEvidence
A proposed pan-African index · Pilot: Nigeria, 36 states + FCT

Why the need for the Girls' Digital Rights Index?

The global measurement landscape for girls’ digital rights remains fragmented. No single, comprehensive global index currently captures the full spectrum of girls’ digital rights, from meaningful technology access and digital literacy to online safety, privacy, agency, participation and protection from technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

This fragmentation presents both a measurement challenge and a strategic opportunity for the African continent with an initial pilot in Nigeria.

Read the evidenceSee how it would work
Already mapped · Oct 2026
Child Rights Act status in every state: the legal foundation the index would build on. Select a state for its record.
Where adolescent girls fall between existing measurement systems
Gender digital inclusion indicesMeasure adult womenAccess, economic participation and technology-related opportunities.
Child rights frameworksMeasure childrenOnline safety and protection, often without granular gender-disaggregated data.
The gapAdolescent girlsTheir digital experiences, capabilities, vulnerabilities and rights go uncaptured.
The evidence

What the data can and cannot show today

70% / 95%National digital-literacy targets for 2027 and 2030. No federal survey measures skills directly.
6.2% vs 9%Young women vs young men aged 15–24 reporting basic ICT skills (MICS 2021, self-reported).
3% – 72%Women aged 15–49 who used the internet in the past year: Kebbi vs Lagos (NDHS 2024).
0Federal surveys reviewed that measure children’s online safety or exposure to online harm.
7 of 13Identified evidence gaps that could be addressed within six months using existing data.

Figures as reported in AREAi’s technical review, which flags the MICS 2021 skills figures and the 7-of-13 gap count for table-level verification before external citation.

Cover of the AREAi technical paper Advancing a Digital Rights Agenda in Nigeria
Technical paper · PDF · 28 pages · 2.2 MB Advancing a Digital Rights Agenda in Nigeria A technical review of federal data infrastructure, measurement indicators, data gaps and priority actions. By Gideon Seun Olanrewaju, Lawson Omoniyi, Prosper Omachuno, Tomiwa Olanrewaju and Mekitmfon Awakessien.
Background brief · PDF · 4 pages Why Nigeria Needs a Girls’ Digital Rights Index The evidence gap and the case for building a dedicated index, in nine short sections.
Projected methodology · Proposed for consultation

What the index would measure

The index would hold two sets of duty-bearers to account: state governments, for the laws, services and institutions that protect girls, and the platforms girls use every day. Weights are a proposal for consultation with girls, state ministries, civil society and technology companies before the 2027 baseline.

LAW · 30%LiveLegal protectionIs she protected on paper?
  • Child Rights Act and VAPP Act domesticated
  • Child marriage prohibited under 18
  • Cybercrimes Act and NDPA 2023 applied in practice
SAFETY · 25%2027Online safety & redressCan she report harm and be heard?
  • Referral pathways working
  • SARCs and family courts operating
  • Cybercrime desks and NAPTIP presence
ACCESS · 25%2027Access & connectivityCan she get online at all?
  • Gender gap in phone ownership and use
  • School ICT access for girls
  • Connectivity in IDP camps and rural LGAs
AGENCY · 20%2027Digital literacy & agencyCan she use it with confidence?
  • Assessed digital skills
  • Privacy and online-safety knowledge
  • Civic voice online
PLATFORMS · own scorecard2027Platform accountabilityDo the platforms she uses protect her?
  • Response to girls’ reports of TFGBV
  • Minors’ data under the NDPA 2023
  • Local-language safety tools
Projected scoreboard · A design for the proposed index

How states and platforms would be assessed

Only the legal-protection column holds real data today. Everything else stays empty until the data are collected.

StateLegal protection · real dataOther state areas
Open the full legal atlas
Platform layer · by type, not by state
Social mediaMessaging appsShort-video appsOnline games & chatAI chatbots & assistants
  • Acts on girls' reports of TFGBV
  • Protects minors' data (NDPA 2023)
  • Age-appropriate design & local-language safety tools
To be assessed · no platform scored yet

Access this data

Take the legal-protection dataset into your own analysis, reuse it in advocacy, or check our evidence trail state by state.

Review the evidence register