On November 29, 2024, Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) hosted a pivotal meeting titled “Gender Inclusive and Best Practices Governing Online Spaces in Uganda” at the Four Points by Sheraton, Kampala. This event brought together key stakeholders to discuss actionable strategies for creating inclusive and safe digital spaces, with a focus on addressing the unique challenges faced by women and girls online.
Participants and Stakeholder Representation
The meeting attracted 20 participants, with a significant majority being women. Attendees represented a diverse range of organizations, including government institutions, private sector actors, and civil society organizations. Stakeholders included entities like the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Uganda Police, the Ministry of ICT, National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U), and advocacy groups such as FIDA-U and Chapter 4, Pollicy among others.
Key Goals of the Meeting
The meeting sought to achieve the following objectives:
- Share Findings: Disseminate insights and recommendations from WOUGNET’s policy brief on online space governance.
- Promote Collaboration: Engage stakeholders to align on priorities for inclusive digital governance.
- Raise Awareness: Highlight the urgent need for gender-sensitive reforms to safeguard women’s participation in online spaces.
Highlights of the Discussions
Expert Presentations
The meeting featured an insightful session facilitated by Ms. Patience Muwanguzi, who challenged participants to describe the internet in four words: safe, chaotic, empowering, and exposing. Alarmingly, most described the internet as “chaotic” and “exposing,” underscoring the urgency for robust interventions.
Patience outlined key safety and access concerns faced by women and girls, including cybersexism, catfishing, slut-shaming, and systemic barriers such as high internet costs, limited digital literacy, and inadequate network coverage in rural areas.
Interactive Open Discussions
Participants shared personal experiences and practical recommendations to improve online governance. When asked what an inclusive online space means, responses included:
- Participant 1: “Spaces that allow people to express themselves and engage meaningfully.”
- Participant 2: “Respectful digital environments.”
- Participant 3: “Platforms accessible without fear of repercussions.”
Project Context and Progress
Esther Nyapendi, the project lead for “Our Voices, Our Futures,” provided context on the challenges women face in accessing and utilizing online spaces. These include:
- Negative public opinions and stereotypes about women online.
- Lack of digital literacy and confidence.
- Systemic exclusion and inadequate legal protections against online gender-based violence (OGBV).
She emphasized the project’s efforts, which include digital security training in Jinja, Mbale, and Kampala, and sustained policy advocacy with stakeholders such as the Uganda Human Rights Commission and Ministry of ICT.
Facilitator-Led Discussions on Legal Frameworks
Uganda’s existing legal framework—comprising the Constitution, the Computer Misuse Act (2011, amended 2022), and the Data Protection and Privacy Act (2019)—was critiqued for its vagueness and inadequate provisions to address OGBV. Participants noted:
- Some laws are poorly adapted from other jurisdictions, hindering local implementation.
- Weak penalties and broad legal interpretations often fail to protect women.
- Insufficient focus on consent, data protection, and transparency in law enforcement.
Recommendations from Stakeholders
Participants proposed several recommendations to address existing gaps in online governance:
- Legal Reforms:
- Repeal vague laws and enact specific provisions to address OGBV, such as criminalizing the non-consensual sharing of intimate content.
- Amend data privacy laws to include rights like “the right to be forgotten.”
- Digital Literacy and Capacity Building:
- Conduct digital literacy training for structurally silenced groups, including persons with disabilities (PWDs).
- Empower government entities to understand and address gender issues in digital spaces.
- Advocacy and Civic Education:
- Localize policy briefs and legal frameworks to ensure accessibility for rural communities.
- Engage traditional media like radio to amplify online conversations offline.
- Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration:
- Strengthen partnerships among civil society, government, and the private sector to advance women’s digital rights.
- Advocate for a specialized court to handle cases of violence against women and girls.
- Address Barriers to Access:
- Reduce economic barriers, including high internet and equipment costs.
- Expand stable network coverage to underserved areas.
Impact and Insights
The meeting emphasized the critical role of inclusive policies in addressing structural inequalities in online spaces. By fostering open dialogue among stakeholders, WOUGNET has laid the groundwork for collaborative solutions to protect and empower women and girls in digital environments.
As David Iribagiza, WOUGNET’s Program Manager, noted, “One in three women in Uganda faces OGBV daily. This statistic is a call to action for all of us to ensure online spaces are safe and empowering for everyone.”
Conclusion
The “Our Voices, Our Futures” project continues to shine a light on the pressing need for gender-sensitive online governance. By amplifying marginalized voices and fostering stakeholder collaboration, the initiative is driving meaningful progress toward creating safe, accessible, and inclusive digital spaces for all.
Written by
Esther Nyapendi
