A report published by APC titled “End violence: women’s rights and safety online”, points out that technology related violence includes acts or behaviors that cause mental or physical harm or suffering. This has been normalized as part of people's online interactions.
Although not often highlighted as such, technology related violence is a form of GBV and falls within the description of violence against women as defined by the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW).
It may take on acts usually known as cyber bullying, cyber violence, online harassment, sexual harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence, trolling, threats to life, revenge pornography; among others.
However, Uganda has no clear statistics and interventions that specifically address technology-facilitated GBV. If any, they are small scale and limited in terms of scope; for example the National policy on eliminating GBV, Data Protection and Privacy Bill, Anti-pornography Act, Computer Misuse Act and Penal Code Act.
Furthermore, most victims and perpetrators are not aware about their actions constituting online GBV according to a research done by WOUGNET (See an article by Susan H. Atim at https://bit.ly/3ipCUyQ)
Steps should be taken to raise awareness about online GBV, and for Parliament to enact a law specifically protecting victims of cyber GBV.
A report published by APC titled “End violence: women’s rights and safety online”, points out that technology related violence includes acts or behaviors that cause mental or physical harm or suffering. This has been normalized as part of people's online interactions.
Although not often highlighted as such, technology related violence is a form of GBV and falls within the description of violence against women as defined by the United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW).
It may take on acts usually known as cyber bullying, cyber violence, online harassment, sexual harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence, trolling, threats to life, revenge pornography; among others.
However, Uganda has no clear statistics and interventions that specifically address technology-facilitated GBV. If any, they are small scale and limited in terms of scope; for example the National policy on eliminating GBV, Data Protection and Privacy Bill, Anti-pornography Act, Computer Misuse Act and Penal Code Act.
Furthermore, most victims and perpetrators are not aware about their actions constituting online GBV according to a research done by WOUGNET (See an article by Susan H. Atim at https://bit.ly/3ipCUyQ)
Steps should be taken to raise awareness about online GBV, and for Parliament to enact a law specifically protecting victims of cyber GBV.
edited Oct 2 '20 at 4:45 pm
