Gender
Women’s Groups Challenge MPs to Act on Rising Online Violence as Uganda Marks Human Rights Day
The call comes as Uganda joins the rest of the world in commemorating Human Rights Day, observed annually on 10 December.
Speaking during a high-level dialogue held at Hotel Africana in Kampala, members of the Domestic Violence Act Coalition urged Parliament to lead in strengthening legal and policy frameworks to address online abuse, which has had a severe negative impact on the lives of women and girls.
The organisations — including Women Probono Initiative, Akina Mama wa Africa, Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), CEDOVIP, among others — appealed to MPs to ensure that Uganda’s commitments to ending gender-based violence are fully aligned with African Union mechanisms aimed at eliminating violence against women.
The SRHR Lead at Akina Mama wa Africa, Buky Williams, expressed concern over the increasing misuse of mobile phones and digital platforms to insult, stalk, and intimidate women, often without perpetrators being held accountable.
Williams called on media houses and communication platforms to take greater responsibility for creating safer online spaces. She warned that online violence extends beyond social media to include messaging applications and other communication channels, urging Ugandans to remain vigilant and report all forms of digital abuse.
Similarly, WOUGNET Executive Director Sandra Aceng stressed that civil society organizations working to eliminate violence against women must be given greater support and space to educate the public about the growing problem of technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
She noted that women and girls continue to face harassment, threats, bullying, and other forms of abuse online, which discourages their participation in digital spaces, yet many cases remain unresolved.
Aceng emphasized the importance of empowering communities to combat online violence, noting that increased awareness of safe digital practices and stronger accountability mechanisms for perpetrators are key to reversing the trend.
The organisations concluded that protecting women and girls online is essential to ensuring they can fully enjoy their human rights and participate in public life without fear. They called on Parliament to make online safety a national priority as Uganda marks this year’s Human Rights Day.
