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Safeguarding Digital Rights: Policy Recommendations to Protect Structurally Silenced Women in Uganda from Surveillance, Privacy Violations, and Data Misuse
In Uganda, structurally silenced women, for instance, Women Human
Rights Defenders (WHRDs), women with disabilities, sex workers, and
gender diverse communities face severe digital rights violations through
state-targeted surveillance, privacy breaches, data misuse, and network
disruptions. Focus group discussions (FGDs) with 25 women reveal a
pervasive climate of fear, distrust, and self-censorship driven by phishing
attacks, digital coercion, and police demands for private data, with
heightened concerns as the 2026 elections approach.
This brief proposes gender-inclusive legal reforms, mandatory court
oversight for surveillance, digital literacy programs, and ethical guidelines
for AI and biometrics to ensure safety and anonymity.
Recommendations are tailored for government (legal amendments), civil
society (awareness campaigns), the private sector (ethical data
practices), and agencies such as the Uganda Communications
Commission (regulatory oversight). By amplifying the lived experiences of
25 women and aligning with Uganda’s constitutional commitments and
international standards, this brief calls for urgent collaboration to
empower marginalised women and secure their digital rights.