Women of Uganda Network

We recently joined key stakeholders at the High-Level Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Business and Digital Rights, convened by @cipesaug. The engagement created important conversations around Digital Public Infrastructure(DPI), Artificial Intelligence, and the need to advance digital solutions that respect and protect human rights, especially women and children.

🤔 Does gendered disinformation only include malicious lies against cis-women? 🧐The answer, of course, is... NO! ‼️Because ➡️ Gendered disinformation can potentially target all women & marginalised genders/sexualities. #IDAHOBIT #IDAHOBIT2026 @iamuhai @wougnet #TheFullPicture

❗Reminder: Don’t miss our upcoming webinar on the Common Good Cyber Fund! 👉Join us on 20 May at 14:00 UTC 🔗Register here: isoc.pub/CGCFinfosession [English, live interpretation in French and Spanish] #CommonGoodCyberFund #Cybersecurity #DigitalSecurity #InternetSociety

@Leniacharity Congratulations Lenia🎊

Today, I officially took oath as Member of Parliament. This moment is bigger than me...it belongs to every young person who dares to dream, every supporter who believed in this journey, and every vurra constituent who entrusted me with this responsibility. Let's serve.

Happy Mother’s Day♥️

📢 Call for Abstracts! The IGDS MAK, invites scholars, researchers, practitioners, policymakers & graduate students to submit abstracts for the inaugural issue of the Makerere Gender and Development Journal (MGDJ). For more details; igds.mak.ac.ug/events/call-ab

4/ Inclusivity and dignity in service delivery remain critical. We advocated for priority service sections for the elderly, pregnant women, and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), while sharing feedback with telecom operators aimed at improving consumer experiences and service delivery for all. #ConsumerProtection #DigitalRights

3/4 Challenges such as long queues at service centers and the need to expand service centres across the country with multilingual customer care support to improve accessibility and efficiency for consumers were also highlighted. #CustomerProtection #DigitalRights

1/4: We were honoured to participate in a Telecom Operator Call center Visit organized by @UCC_Official , where we engaged with various telecom operators on key consumer protection and satisfaction issues affecting Ugandans. #ConsumerProtection #DigitalRights

Last week, @wougnet joined @Sightsavers for the 2nd Annual Review & Learning Workshop of the RISE/E Project (Ready for Inclusive, Sustainable Employment/Entrepreneurship ) supported by Standard Chartered Foundation. The project is expanding decent employment opportunities for young people with & without disabilities across Kampala, Wakiso & Mukono WOUGNET was proud to contribute as a key stakeholder sharing insights on how technology can drive inclusive economic empowerment and inform future project improvements. #RISE_E #InclusiveEmployment #DisabilityInclusion #DigitalInclusion #WOUGNET #Sightsavers #NUDIPU #Uganda @StanChartUGA

On #WorldPressFreedomDay, we back women journalists in Uganda challenging gendered disinformation and online harassment. WPFD 2026 calls us to #ShapeAFutureOfPeace—by protecting press freedom and strengthening information integrity across tech, civic space & human rights. Read: 👉Seeding change (apc.org/en/blog/seedin…) #WPFD2026 #PressFreedom

The Chinese Government Just Got the World’s Largest Digital Rights Conference Canceled wired.com/story/the-chin…

👏On this day, we honor and appreciate the dedication, hard work, contributions and resilience of workers everywhere, especially those who work towards creating safe, inclusive and fair online and offline spaces for women and marginalized communities. #LabourDay

We stand in solidarity with the organizers of #RightsCon2026, @accessnow, following the impromptu decision not to proceed with the event. We recognize the immense effort, hope, and collaboration that goes into creating spaces like RightsCo with an aim of advancing digital rights, inclusion, and justice globally. Your commitment to building an open, secure, and inclusive digital future remains powerful and necessary. We remain committed to working together and strengthening digital rights across the region.

This is a great move!👏

It is with heavy hearts that we share: RightsCon will not proceed in Zambia or online.

The energy at the 2nd West Nile SRHR Symposium here in Arua is a powerful reminder of why our work in the region is so vital. We listened to @NyapendiEsther from @wougnet today, who says she is struck by how deeply our digital habits are now intertwined with our physical safety and bodily autonomy. Digital safety isn't just a technical skill; for the adolescents and young women we serve, it is a fundamental act of self-defense. As Esther emphasized, our "bad habits” like the impulse to share every moment of our lives online - can inadvertently hand a map to those who wish us harm. To protect the sexual and reproductive rights of our community, we must treat our technological devices with the same level of care we give our physical spaces. Silence the Trackers: We are constantly being monitored by third parties and ISPs. Turning off geo-location isn’t just about privacy; it’s about ensuring that an abuser cannot track a young woman’s movements to a health center or a safe space. Layer the Defense: We need to normalize the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to mask IP addresses and adopt Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) as a non-negotiable standard. Fortify the Gates: Using password managers and unique, strong passwords ensures that our personal narratives and private conversations stay exactly that - private. The surge of online GBV in Uganda is a sobering reality. Esther’s concern regarding the WOUGNET OGBV Knowledge Portal highlights a gap we see far too often: we can provide the platforms for reporting, but if the police lack the technical capacity to investigate digital crimes, and if the courts do not fully embrace digital approaches for case management, justice remains out of reach. This lack of critical awareness around digital security makes it harder to manage cases and even harder to prevent them. Our referral pathways are only as strong as the technical literacy of the institutions receiving them. Esther noted that more than ever, we must lead the charge in teaching our communities how to embrace encryption and "mirror" conversations through secure applications. She says safeguarding the next generation of girls and young women in the West Nile requires us to bridge the gap between digital innovation and institutional accountability. We aren't just protecting data; we are protecting the right of every young person to live safely, both online and off.