The Global Theme for the 2025 16 Days of Activism against GBV is: End digital violence against all women and girls. This theme is more relevant in today’s World where the internet is running all development processes. Women and girls continue to be harassed through digital platforms that hampers their ability to use digital tools to contribute to development.
We had a conversation with our Usisi Amandla Fellow Ms. Ruth Aber– a legal expert and advocate for human rights on her reflection about this day, women’s digital security and what it means for many women and girls in Uganda and Africa.
1. Tell us about yourself
My name is Ruth Aber, a lawyer and human rights advocate passionate about strengthening human rights, gender justice, and access to justice. I work with Evidence and Methods Lab, a civic tech organization dedicated to strengthening transparency, accountability, access to public and citizen participation. As an Usisi Amandla Fellow, I have been able to appreciate the intersection between the law, policy and public engagement in creating a society that works for all. Through the fellowship, I got understand that there is need to have concerted efforts by all stakeholders in order to achieve the development we strive for as a country. This prompted me to write a policy brief on enhancing the recognition, protection and enforcement of digital human rights in Uganda.
2. What do the 16 Days of Activism against GBV mean to you as a woman and legal expert?
The 16 Days of Activism is both a reminder and a call to action. As a woman, these days remind me of the everyday violence and challenges women go through by virtue of their gender – these injustices and harsh treatments keep evolving with the changes in society. With the growth in the digital world, the violence against women has gradually extended into online gender based violence hence the need for women and girls to protected in all spheres.
As a legal expert, it is an opportunity to reflect on the gaps in our justice systems and advocate for stronger protections. It is a period of renewed commitment to ending all forms of gender-based violence, including the growing threat of digital violence.
3. From this year’s theme, what are the most common forms of digital violence against women and girls that you know of and sometimes had to deal with as a legal expert?
Some of the most common forms include online harassment, cyberstalking, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and gender-based hate speech. These acts are not only emotionally damaging but also limit women’s participation in digital spaces. Many survivors face threats to their safety, reputations, and mental health, often with little legal recourse.
Well as I have not had a face to face situation with someone dealing with digital violence, I have been able to address issues related to digital violence through the work I do – creating more awareness on the existing forms of online gender based violence through developing easy to understand formats as well as ways of identifying, protecting oneself and how to respond in incidences of attacks.
4. In your policy brief in the Usisi Amandla Fellowship, you raise critical issues about the legal and policy frameworks and how they can be reviewed to protect women and girls. Tell us more about this.
My policy brief reflects that while Uganda has existing laws and regulations on digital rights and related issues including online communication, cybercrime, data protection, and online safety, these frameworks do not explicitly address issues that concern online gender based violence. This gap in the law has facilitated the continued perpetration and abuse of women on online spaces with limited action on the perpetrators of these actions against women. Although some laws speak to online violence, these laws are not up to date with the emerging changes in the digital space including online gender based violence. Enforcement faces another roadblock of lack of awareness by the populace in Uganda of their existing digital rights, what to do in case of abuse and the need to call duty bearers to action when violations happen.
I made key recommendations to deal with these issues that include:
- Updating laws that address digital human rights to cater for the changing and emerging issues in the digital space including online gender based violence.
- Strengthening enforcement capacity through creating more awareness about digital rights, the need to recognize and protect them as well as strengthening enforcement through prosecuting the perpetrators of online gender based violence.
5. What more can be done to protect women and girls from online harassment?
We need a holistic approach that includes:
- Legal reform to strengthen definitions, reporting procedures, and penalties for digital violence.
- Digital literacy programmes, especially for young women and girls, so they can identify risks, protect their accounts, and safely navigate digital spaces.
- Capacity building for enforcement officers, including training on gender-responsive investigations.
- Accessible survivor support services, including psychosocial counselling, legal aid, and safe spaces.
- Multi-stakeholder collaboration—government, CSOs, private sector, and communities must jointly advocate for safer online environments.
6. Your parting shots to the victims of GBV To every survivor: your story matters, and what happened to you is not yourfault. You deserve safety, dignity, and justice—both online and offline. And to every woman and girl navigating digital spaces: you have a right to participate fully and freely without fear. Your voice belongs here, and together, we can reclaim the internet as a space for empowerment, not violence.
