Tech-related violence against women in peri-urban areas of Uganda

Published on 9 January 2019
Page last updated on 21 September 2023

Author:

WOUGNET

The UN estimates that 95% of aggressive behaviour, harassment, abusive language and denigrating images in online spaces are aimed at women and come from current or former male partners. For such cases, it is then referred to as Technology-related Violence Against Women (Tech-related VAW). Tech-related VAW encompasses acts of gender-based violence that are committed, abetted or aggravated, in part or fully, by the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as phones, the internet, social media platforms, and email.

This report, which derives from a study titled Investigating Tech related Violence Against Women in Peri-Urban Areas of Uganda, highlights the different aspects of tech-related violence against women, their implications, and solutions proposed, with the aim of addressing this growing concern in the country. The three-month study, conducted between June and August 2018, was carried out by the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) with support from Association for Progressive Communications (APC), as part of APC's 2018 research and campaign grants.

The Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) is a non-governmental organisation initiated in May 2000 by several women’s organisations in Uganda to develop the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among women as tools to share information and address issues collectively. WOUGNET’s vision is a society in which women are empowered through the use of ICTs for sustainable development.