uganda: violence against women and information and communication technologies presented at ict...

Uganda: Violence Against Women and Information and Communication

Technologies

Presented at

ICT SYMPOSIUM TO MARK WOUGNET’S 10 YEARS OF EXISTENCE 1ST - 2ND JUNE 2010 AT HOTEL AFRICANA

Based on Paper Authored for APC WNSP by

Aramanzan Madanda*, Berna Ngolobe & Goretti Zavuga Amuriat *[email protected]

Presentation Structure

• Overview

• Legal and policy context

• Key Issues on VAW and ICT in Uganda

• Best Practices

• Action Points

Overview

• Uganda’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression, provides for gender equality and AA, and outlaws discrimination based on sex

• However, enacting gender specific enabling laws and setting up relevant institutions has been slow – E.g. DRB and the Equal Opportunities

Commission

Overview

• Though traditional and extended family systems provide security of tenure to women, custom and culture also threaten women’s safety and security– E.g. FGM, early marriage, widow inheritance,

property appropriation from widows and orphans, domestic violence

Overview • Prevalence of VAW is high

• Prevalence of domestic violence is 40-45% (Ellis et al 2006)

• Domestic violence among expectant mothers is 57% (Kaye et al 2005)

• 60% of women in Uganda & 59% of the ever married have ever experienced violence perpetuated by their partner (UDHS 2006)

Overview • 59% of the married women have ever

experienced physical or sexual violence at hands of their partner (UBOS & Macro International 2007)

• 61% of rural women and 54% of urban women report VAW showing that it cuts across the rural –urban divide (Ibid)

• Paying bride price is used to legitimize domestic violence against women

Overview • Information on the intersection of VAW

and ICT is limited and anecdotal

• 90% of Internet users in Uganda have suffered Internet crime losses; 25% confess initiating it (Tushabe & Baryamureeba 2005).

• 3 cyber laws: Computer Misuse, the Electronic Transactions and the Electronic Signatures Bills have been tabled.

Overview • A study of gender relations and adoption

of computing and mobile telephony shows that the link between ICT and VAW is double edged. – E.g. successful e-partners Vs bad

relationships– Mobile phones have been used to check

domestic male aggression– ICTs have opened virtual spaces for women

Overview • Women’s organizations use Internet, TV,

Radio, Newspapers and other media to highlight VAW – rape, victimization and harassment by security

• There are websites for sexual minorities – e.g. Makerere University Lesbian Students– Sexual Minorities Uganda (www.smug.4t.com)– LGTB – Lesbian, Gay, transgender and

bisexuals

Overview • In the domestic sphere; spouses control

women’s use by giving permission to their wives to use phones, when and how

• There has been violence triggered around phones including death– E.g. Hon. Godi Akbar’s case now in court

• Even with "secret” lines; quarrels, separations, divorce and broken relationships exist – as ICT threatens male control

Overview • New social tensions, criminality and

gender based violence have grown around mobile telephony

• In homes, men control mobile phone adoption through permutations of threats, coercion and gender based violence.

• Mobiles are not only communicative tools but variously instruments of monitoring & control.

Overview • Therefore, the impact of adoption

of ICT on GBV is mixed. On one hand there is a transformation wave in motion enhancing women’s empowerment, while on the other front existing patriarchal privilege is getting reinforced, reproducing itself in form of VAW.

Legal and Policy Framework

• The Uganda constitution provides for equality between women and men and for affirmative action.

• The entire chapter four of the constitution is devoted to protection of fundamental and other human rights and freedoms.

• There are specific provisions that relate to gender.• The national objective and directive principles of State

Policy number XV states that: “the state shall recognise the significant role that women play in society.”


• Article 21 (2) states that: “a person shall not be discriminated against on the ground of sex...”

• Article 32 (1) states that: “... the state shall take affirmative action in favour of groups marginalised on the basis of gender, ... or any other reason created by history, tradition or custom, for the purpose of redressing imbalances which exist against them.”


• Article 33 (1-5) provides for :– women’s full and equal dignity with men; – State provisioning to enhance the welfare of women and to

enable them realise their full potential; – state protection of women and their rights, taking into account

their unique status and natural maternal functions in society;– equal treatment with men, and equal opportunities in political,

economic and social activities;– Right to AA for redressing imbalances created by history,

tradition or custom; – Prohibits laws, cultures, customs or traditions which are against

the dignity, welfare or interest of women or which undermine their status, are prohibited ...”


• Uganda also ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1985 without any reservations (Ellis et al 2006).

• Government approved the first National Gender Policy (NGP) in 1997 and issued a second one in 2007 along with The National Plan of Action on Women 2007 following the National Equal Opportunities Policy 2006. The NGP recommends gender mainstreaming as a strategy for addressing gender imbalances.


• Like for many developing nations, and in line with international neoliberal economic thinking, Uganda’s ICT policy emphasises private sector led growth.

• Section 2.3 shows that the policy rationale is to “stimulate industrial growth, commerce, infrastructure and linkage of rural and urban communities as well as uplifting of disadvantaged groups, while taking care of gender balance”


• In line with the NGP, objective 4.2(x) aims “to ensure gender mainstreaming in information and communication programmes and in ICT development.”

• Under strategies, the policy pledges to “ensure that facilities for communication are provided at levels of cost, which match the ability of their users to pay, so as to reduce gender and spatial disparities in information access.”

• Strategies for gender mainstreaming are also listed• The RCDP 2001 is totally gender blind. The revised

RCDP, 2009 has gender provisions


• The currently proposed Cyber Crime laws say almost nothing on gender issues

• Only the Electronic Signatures Bill has one direct reference to females in section 86 (4), “a female person shall not be searched under this section except by another female person.”

• A related aspect is Section 20(1-3) in the Computer Misuse Bill, 2008 which criminalizes child pornography but pays no attention to adult pornography.

Key Issues on VAW and ICT in Uganda

• There is awareness that ICT can be useful in getting information on GBV and raising awareness to the public and global community.

• Despite the potential and opportunities provided by ICT, there are emerging negative trends especially when ICT is used to entrench stereotypes and unequal relations.


• Rapid adoption of mobiles has been accompanied with some vices:– E.g. invasion of privacy through SMS stalking,

monitoring & control where women must be ever available and always account for their whereabouts

– growing violence around the technologies with increasing GBV cases triggered around phone use, fights, battering, psychological tortures, separation, divorce and death.


• The link between ICT use and GBV is hardly addressed. Actors seem to be preoccupied with expansion, profit and taxation issues without much emphasis on the ramifications on GBV resulting from adoption.


• With Internet use, the ever present pornography and Internet based abuses are of concern though less discussed in the Ugandan public.

• The proposed computer misuse law, mentions child protection on line and does not even mention violence against women.


• Gender based violence is recognised, but government is more laid back when dealing with such issues. It seems an issue that has attracted more attention is defilement

Best Practices1. WOUGNET and the use of discussion lists

and SMS in raising awareness on VAW

2. Isis –WICCE and use of internet to raise awareness and mobilize action locally, nationally and internationally

3. Action AID and use of radio and listening clubs to raise awareness and trigger action

4. Mayuge Women using mobiles to fight VAW

Action Points 1. ICT policy advocacy to ensure that all ICT

related policies respond to gender needs

2. Need to target and promote strategic use of ICT to combat VAW in educational institutions

3. Forge strong PPPs around issues of gender and VAW in particular

4. Promote use of mobiles in reporting VAW

5. Surveillance without infringing privacy

Action Points 5. Design mechanisms with a sustained

activities leveraging the power of ICTs to address the deep-rooted gender imbalances in the family, state, religious institutions, etc.

6. Relevant legislations and programmes to eliminate GBV at family level

7. Education about technology for domestic violence for organizations and survivors

8. Research on ICT and VAW and policy research

uganda: violence against women and information and communication technologies presented at ict...

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