

IWD2021: Recognizing How Women of Uganda Network Has Used ICTs to Enhance the Wellbeing of Women During the Covid -19 Pandemic
It’s this time of the year that Women Rights Organizations look back and take pride in the efforts
they have labored to improve the quality of life of women and at the same time
challenge the rest of the world to acknowledge
that Women Rights are also Human
Rights. March 8th is not only a thrilling day for
women all over the world to celebrate their accomplishments, it’s a prominent
time for organizations like Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) to commemorate
the social, economic, cultural, and political triumphs they have registered
in promoting gender equality using ICTs especially in the difficult times of
the COVID-19.
Just like any other
contagion, the unpredicted outbreak of COVID 19 caught Uganda and other
countries around the world by surprise and thus greatly affected the well being
of many people especially women and other vulnerable groups. This global crisis
and notifiable disease inevitably forced the Ugandan government to employ stringent
measures to contain it and these included lockdown, social,
physical distancing and night curfew
which significantly disrupted economic activity.
As a result, many people experienced a reduction in
their daily incomes due to loss of jobs, reduced flow of remittances, and loss
of market for their products. In addition, Ugandans that depend on the government’s
free health services due to poverty experienced limited access to health care.
While gender is oftentimes
under looked in the face of epidemics, women and girls are most affected and
this has the same for the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a technical
brief titled “Gendered Dimensions of The Economic Impacts
of Covid-19 In Uganda”, it was reported that women and girls are bound to be
left out during COVID- 19 responses. The brief further indicated that during
the COVID-19 containment, men were the most dominant under the essential workers’ category that was allowed to continue with work during the total lockdown
while most women stayed home. All this and more left women in a state of
desolation and vulnerability. Uganda’s experience has only been a reflection of
other countries elsewhere.
In order to address the
impact of COVID-19 on women and girls, Women’s Rights Organizations worldwide
have embraced ICT as a tool to empower women during the COVID-19 crisis. For
instance, on the
International Day of the Girl that was celebrated in October 2020, International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
and United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) collaborated with the
Permanent Mission of Bulgaria to host a virtual event on ”Gender Equality in Science, Technology and
Innovation: Driving Sustainable Future during COVID-19 and beyond”. The discussion focused on the
progress achieved in empowering women and girls and the hindrances that affect
women in accessing ICTs.
It’s against this background
that WOUGNET enhanced the use of ICTs to address the plight of women during the
distressing time of COVID-19. WOUGNET has been predominant and vibrant in
mitigating the effects of COVID-19 by venturing into various mechanisms of ICTs
as a tool for controlling the spread of the disease. For example, as a way of
addressing the disinformation
on COVID-19 that was causing a lot of panic and fear, WOUGNET made use of its
SMS platform called “M-Omulimisa” to share information with rural women in
remote areas that barely
had access to internet platforms and televisions that
constantly shared information about the disease. The platform therefore played
a vital role in addressing the myth about the disease. For instance, in March,
2020, the daily monitor reported that the late
Pastor Augustine Yiga of Revival Church Kawaala commonly known as “Abizaayo was arrested for uttering false information
that COVID-19 that there was no COVID-19 in Africa.
Furthermore, WOUGNET has
also been using radio campaigns in districts like Apac and Agago to create
awareness about the rising cases of gender-based violence (both physical and
online violence) as a result of the COVID 19 restrictions. This enabled women
in these districts to learn more abought their digital rights in the online
space and also got information on what to do and where to report in case they
fall victim. This in accordance with WOUGNET’s
report on domestic violence in the COVID 19 context, it was stated that
violence against women and girls had become more persuasive due to the outbreak
of COVID-19. This was associated with stringent measures (like curfew and
limited movement) enacted by the government which exposed women more to abuse
because of spending more hours under one roof with the perpetrators of
violence.
In order to respond to
the aggressive working conditions like working remotely that arose due to the outbreak of COVID-19 as a way of complying with the Standard Operating Procedures
(SOP) issued by the Ministry of Health, WOUGNET in partnership with the Women
Peace and Humanitarian fund built the capacity of the staff of its 25 member
organizations to enable them to adapt to the new working environment. This was
achieved by equipping them with various ICT skills like video
conferencing tools such as zoom, google meet, google hangout calls to enable
them work from home. These initiatives in a long run trickled down to the women
beneficiaries through service delivery and thus improving their wellbeing
throughout during the lockdown.
WOUGNET has also
conducted and published several research studies during the COVID-19 pandemic
as a way of creating awareness of the negative experiences of women and
advocating for their rights. Furthermore, it used the findings to influence
policy decisions on ICT and gender-based violence both on a national and
international level. In accordance with this fact, WOUGNET submitted a report
to the UN special rapporteur on the violence against women (VAW) in the context
of COVID-19. The report boldly indicated
that VAW had increased due to the unforeseen outbreak of COVID-19. WOUGNET
further tasked the government, civil society, and development partners, and all
stakeholders to enhance the involvement of male allies in the fight against
VAW. An article
published by WOUGNET clearly illustrated the challenges that women face in
accessing the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic. It stated that the gender
digital divide increased during the COVID-19 pandemic thus limiting many women
from working remotely and also indicated that most women depended on their
husbands for data. In this article, WOUGNET advocated for women by tasking
the government to scrap off the OTT tax to enhance internet access for women.
In the quest to enhance
the wellbeing of women during the upsetting time of COVID-19, WOUGNET chose to
challenge the hindrances of COVID-19, by embracing the sense of agency to use
ICTs during the COVID-19 pandemic where ICTs have become very crucial.
As we continue to
celebrate this amazing month for women, WOUGNET commends all Women's Rights
Organizations, private sectors, and government institutions that have played a
critical role in using ICTs to address the plight of women amidst the
unprecedented face of COVID-19. We, therefore, #ChooseToChallenge policymakers and all stakeholders to integrate gender in all policies, laws, and
measures geared at addressing the impact of COVID-19 and future pandemics.
If we are to #BuildBackBetter
from the impact of COVID-19, an enabling environment should
be created for women to participate fully in the decision-making processes
regarding ICT for development. This is because they understand better the challenges,
they have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic where ICTs and the internet have
become a meaningfully indispensable part of life.
Written by, Nampiima
Maria Goretti
Program Assistant
Volunteer, Information Sharing, and Networking.