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24Mar

Advancing Advocacy and Awareness on Digital Rights for Businesses in Uganda

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Nadhifah Muhammad and Tendo Racheal |

Imagine running a business in today’s fast-paced digital world, where almost everything from customer data, marketing to financial transactions happening online. Now, imagine having little or no knowledge on how to protect that data, relevant laws and regulations or worse, unknowingly violating digital rights. That is the reality for many businesses in Uganda today. 

Data protection, data privacy, cybersecurity, and surveillance are not just techy buzzwords, they’re essential to building a safe and inclusive digital economy. Yet, many small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which account for 90% of Uganda’s private sector, either do not fully understand responsible digital practices or lack the tools to do so.

That’s where the Advancing Respect for Human Rights by Businesses in Uganda (ARBHR) project comes in. With support from Enabel and the European Union, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is co-implementing this project which seeks to reduce human rights abuses connected to business activities in Uganda, particularly those impacting women and children. 

Among others, CIPESA is working to raise awareness on digital rights in the business context. As businesses increasingly rely on digital technologies to operate and innovate, their role in upholding digital rights becomes paramount. Yet many Ugandan businesses, particularly SMEs, lack a comprehensive understanding of digital rights principles and their obligations in upholding them. 

Early this year, CIPESA published a call for applications to the Civil Society (CSO) Fund for entities interested in championing digital rights in the business sector. Six CSOs were selected under the competitive process and, together with four innovation hubs, SME, employer and employee associations, will be supported to implement awareness-raising activities. These include Evidence and Methods Lab, Boundless Minds, Wakiso District Human Rights Committee, Media Focus on Africa Uganda, Girls for Climate Action, Recreation for Development and Peace Uganda, Private Sector Foundation Uganda, Federation of Uganda Employers and The Innovation Village.

To ensure that the partners effectively undertake their interventions, CIPESA convened a three-day bootcamp on March 4–8, 2025 aimed at enhancing their knowledge and skills in implementing awareness raising and advocacy campaigns as part of advancing the business and human rights agenda. The bootcamp brought together 35 participants. 

Key topics of discussion included Trends in Business and Digital Rights in Uganda, such as Privacy and Data Protection, Cybersecurity, Inclusion and Labour Rights; Impact Communications and Storytelling for Awareness and Advocacy; as well as Digital Content Creation.

The discussions were framed under the Uganda National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAPBHR), which seeks to protect human rights, enhance corporate digital responsibility to respect human rights, and ensure access to remedy for victims of human rights violations and abuses resulting from non-compliance by business entities in the country.

The project is very timely to create more awareness on business and human rights issues especially in regards to labour rights, effective redress mechanisms for BHR [Business and Human Rights] violations and engendering of digital rights. –  Training Participant

Uganda’s ARBHR aligns with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), which outline the corporate responsibility to respect, protect, and remedy human rights abuses in business operations. By equipping businesses with the knowledge and tools to integrate digital rights into their policies and practices, the ARBHR project is contributing to a global movement that ensures businesses operate ethically, respect fundamental freedoms, and uphold human dignity in the digital space. 

For Uganda’s business sector to thrive in a digitally connected world, businesses must align with these principles, creating a culture where human rights are not an afterthought but a core business responsibility. 

Therefore, as partners roll out their awareness raising action plans over the next eight months, it is envisaged that over 200,000 individuals will be reached in the regions of Albertine, Busoga and Kampala Metropolitan. Through radio talk shows, skits, social media campaigns, community meetings, capacity building trainings, visualised Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) products, and digital clinics, these stakeholders will have enhanced appreciation of digital rights protection to foster a more informed and active community of advocates for rights-respecting practices among businesses in Uganda. 

So, if you’re a business owner, a CSO representative, or just someone passionate about digital rights, this is your chance to be part of something bigger. Join the conversation, and let’s build a digital future we can all trust.

25Feb

CIPESA and Partners Advocate for Inclusion of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence in Uganda’s Sexual Offences Bill

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Ainembabazi Patricia |

On February 18, 2025, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) alongside Pollicy and the Gender Tech Initiative appeared before Members of Uganda’s Parliament to advocate for the inclusion of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) in the Sexual Offences Bill 2024.

The rapid evolution of digital technologies has reshaped societal interactions, leading to increased perpetration of online violence. In Uganda, online users increasingly face digital forms of abuse that often mirror or escalate offline sexual offences, yet efforts to combat gender-based violence are met with both legal and practical challenges.

The Sexual Offences Bill aims to address sexual offences by providing for the effectual prevention of sexual violence, enhancement of the punishment of sexual offenders, providing for the protection of victims during trial of sexual offences, and providing for extra-territorial application of the law.

In the presentation to Committee of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the Committee on Gender, Labour, and Social Development, CIPESA and partners emphasised the necessity of closing the policy gap between digital and physical sexual offenses in the Bill, to ensure that Uganda’s legal system is responsive to the realities of technology advancements and related violence. We argued that while the Bill is timely and presents real issues of sexual violence especially against women, there are some pertinent aspects that have been left out and should be included.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), TFGBV is “an act of violence perpetrated by one or more individuals that is committed, assisted, aggravated, and amplified in part or fully by the use of information and communication technologies or digital media, against a person on the basis of their gender.” It includes cyberstalking, doxing, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, cyberbullying, and other forms of online harassment.

In Uganda, TFGBV is not addressed by the existing laws including the Penal Code Act and the Computer Misuse Act. Adding TFGBV to the bill will provide an opportunity to bridge this legal gap by explicitly incorporating TFGBV as a prosecutable offence.

CIPESA and partners’ recommendations to the Committees were to:

1. Include and Explicitly Define TFGBV

Under Part I (Preliminary), the Bill provides definitions for various terms related to sexual offences, including references to digital and online platforms. However, it does not explicitly define TFGBV or recognise its various manifestations. This omission limits the Bill’s effectiveness in addressing emerging forms of online sexual offences.

We propose an introduction of a new clause under Part I defining TFGBV, to ensure the Bill adequately addresses offences committed via digital means. The definition should align with international standards, such as the UNFPA’s definition of TFGBV, and should ensure consistency with Uganda’s digital policy frameworks, including the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995, the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019, the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act 2022, Penal Code Act Cap 120, and the Uganda Communications Act 2013.

2. Recognising Various Forms of TFGBV

Clause 7 of the Bill provides for the penalisation of Indecent Communication or transmission of sexual content without consent. It criminalises the sharing of unsolicited material of a sexual nature, including the unauthorised distribution of nude images or videos. However, the provision does not explicitly mention cyber harassment, online grooming, sextortion, or non-consensual intimate image sharing (commonly known as “revenge porn”).  As such, we recommended the expansion of Clause 7 to explicitly recognise and define offences such as Cyber harassment, Non-consensual intimate image sharing, Online grooming, and Sextortion. This addition will clarify legal pathways for victims and broaden the scope of protection against digital sexual exploitation. 

3. Replacing “Online Platform” with “Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence”

In clause 1 the Bill defines “on-line platform” as any computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of information, ideas, or other forms of expression. This encompasses social media sites, websites, and other digital communication tools. Clause 6 addresses the offense of indecent exposure, criminalising the intentional display of one’s sexual organs in public or through electronic means, including online platforms and clause 7 pertains to the non-consensual sharing of intimate content. However, these provisions do not comprehensively categorise TFGBV as a distinct form of sexual offences. Accordingly, “Online Platform” should be replaced with “Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence” to ensure the Bill adequately captures all digital gender-based offences, including deepfake pornography, cyberstalking, and sexual exploitation through content generated by artificial intelligence.

4. Criminalising Voyeurism

The Bill does not explicitly criminalise voyeurism, which refers to the act of secretly observing, recording, or distributing images or videos of individuals in private settings without their consent, often for sexual gratification. Thee is increasing prevalence of voyeurism through hidden cameras, non-consensual recordings, and live-streamed sexual abuse.  Voyeurism should be criminalised with a clear definition provided under clause 1 and the scope and penalty defined under Part II of the Bill.

5. Strengthening Accountability for Technology Platforms

The Bill does not impose specific responsibilities on digital platforms and service providers in cases of TFGBV. We argued for the addition of a new clause under Part III (Procedures and Evidential Provisions) mandating digital platforms and service providers to cooperate in investigations related to TFGBV, and provide relevant data and evidence upon request by law enforcement. Similarly,  the provision should expand into the obligation to ensure data protection compliance and  implementation of proactive measures to detect, remove, and report sexual exploitation content.  This provision will enhance accountability and facilitate the prosecution of perpetrators. 

6. Aligning Uganda’s Legislation with Regional and International Frameworks

The Bill does not explicitly state its alignment with regional and international human rights instruments addressing sexual violence and digital rights.  We recommend an addition of a new clause under Part I (Preliminaries) stating that the Bill shall be interpreted in a manner that aligns with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Resolution 522 (2022) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). This will reinforce Uganda’s commitment to and application of international best practices in combating sexual offences. 

7. Enhancing Legal Remedies for Survivors

Clause 42 (Settlement in Capital Sexual Offences) prohibits compromise settlements in cases of rape, aggravated rape, and defilement, prescribing a 10-year prison sentence for offenders who attempt to settle such cases outside court. However, the Bill does not provide civil remedies for victims of TFGBV-related crimes, nor does it ensure access to psycho-social support.  We recommend an expansion of Clause 42 to include  civil remedies, including compensation for victims of TFGBV, psychosocial and legal support, ensuring survivors receive necessary rehabilitation, and mandatory reporting obligations for online platforms hosting TFGBV-related content. 

The inclusion of TFGBV in the Sexual Offences Bill 2024 will not only strengthen the fight against gender-based violence but also ensure that survivors access justice. The proposed legislative changes will reinforce Uganda’s commitment to upholding digital rights and gender equality in the digital age. The country will also join the ranks of pioneers such as South Africa who have taken legislative steps to criminalise online gender-based violence.

By incorporating the proposed provisions and amendments, the Sexual Offences Bill, 2024 will clearly define online-based sexual offenses, bring perpetrators of online violence to book and provide protection for survivors of digital sexual offences. It will also contribute to the building and strengthening of accountability for technology platforms. Once enacted, the law will also go strides in ensuring that Uganda’s legal framework aligns with regional and international human rights standards on protection of survivors while guaranteeing effective prosecution of offenders of technology-facilitated sexual offences.

Download the Full report here

17Dec

Job Opportunity: CIPESA Seeks a Communications Officer

Author CIPESA Posted on
Call for Applications |

Job title:                                               Communications Officer

Deadline for applications:                 January 10, 2025

Location:                                              Can be Remote, or based at CIPESA office in Kampala, Uganda

Duration:                                             Two (2) Years

About CIPESA

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) works to defend and expand the digital civic space to enable the protection and promotion of human rights and to enhance innovation and sustainable development. With a focus on disparate actors, including the private sector, civil society, media, policymakers, and multinational institutions, our work aims to engender a free, open, and secure internet that advances rights, livelihoods, and democratic governance. CIPESA’s work responds to a shortage of information, research, resources, and actors consistently working at the nexus of technology, human rights, and society.

CIPESA is seeking a Communications Officer to help increase the visibility of our work in defending and expanding the digital civic space.

Job Summary:

This is an opportunity to work with CIPESA’s expanding team and network of collaborators, including the private sector, civil society, media, academia, policymakers, and multinational institutions. The Communications Officer will work collaboratively with the CIPESA team to create, implement, and oversee internal and external communications programmes that effectively engender a free, open, and secure internet that advances rights, livelihoods, and democratic governance.

Key Areas of Accountability Include:
  • Implement the CIPESA Communications Strategy, so as to increase brand awareness and recognition and to reach out to external stakeholders and respond to the needs of targeted audiences.
  • Document and communicate CIPESA’s work through powerful storytelling using various tools and platforms.
  • Manage communication tools to ensure that CIPESA partners and collaborators are kept informed and engaged and messages effectively and consistently describe CIPESA and its goals and activities.
  • Monitor and evaluate communication and advocacy activities.
  • Manage the production of CIPESA publications, including research reports, impact reports, policy briefs, annual reports and newsletters.
  • Work with CIPESA staff to draft, edit and refine press releases, talking points, blog posts, speeches, grant applications and other external communications.
  • Engage staff and key stakeholders in promoting CIPESA’s mission. This includes establishing rapport with them and ensuring visibility.
  • Oversee and grow the content of CIPESA’s website and other digital and social media resources.
  • Liaise with various media houses and content publishers for publicity and promotion as required.
  • Media monitoring and outreach to mainstream and technology-focused media.
  • Manage the communications related logistics and support for CIPESA events.
  • Oversee the maintenance of CIPESA’s contact database, events and publications calendar, and other communication tools.
  • Curate thematic news content for CIPESA’s platforms including reporting on the latest trends and developments in technology in the region.
  • Conducting other tasks as appropriate to support CIPESA’s mission.  
Qualifications and Experience:

This position is applicable to people with at least five years of relevant experience. An ideal candidate would demonstrate the following:

  • Undergraduate degree and/or equivalent experience in communications, public affairs, advocacy or journalism; and a demonstrated interest/knowledge related to one or more of these fields: human rights law or policy, technology policy, digital rights, social or development studies. Postgraduate qualifications are a distinct advantage.
  • Outstanding verbal and written communication skills — including strong writing and editing skills for different platforms (social media, blogs, campaign tool kits)  and varied external audiences.
  • Experience working with journalists or in the media.
  • Proficiency in creatively using  digital and social media, including multimedia content development and storytelling.
  • Confidence/experience in multi-stakeholder environments and differing cultural settings, and in working with diverse constituencies.
  • Exceptional project and time management, planning and organisational skills, resourcefulness and attention to detail.
  • Fluency in English is required, and proficiency in another language is an advantage.
  • Familiarity with Content Management Systems and creative software suites are an advantage.

Salary and Benefits: Salary will be commensurate with experience. CIPESA provides a benefits package that includes health care, provident fund, statutory pension and paid leave.

Standards of Professional Conduct: CIPESA staff and partners must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the Code of Conduct, and the Safeguarding against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment (SEAH) Policy. In accordance with these, CIPESA operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, and several others.

To Apply: Please send your interest including a cover letter detailing why you think your skill set would be ideal for this position, along with a CV, the names and contact details of two referees and 2-3 writing/content samples in one PDF file to recruitment@cipesa.org with Application for Communications Officer in the email subject line.

03Dec

The AU Disability Protocol Comes Into Force: Implications for Digital Rights for Persons with Disabilities in Africa

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Paul Kimumwe & Michael Aboneka |

On this International Day for Persons with Disabilities, CIPESA reflects on the impact of the African Union (AU) Disability Protocol and its Implication on digital rights for persons with disabilities in Africa and calls upon the African Commission to establish a Special Mandate to enhance the respect for and protection of the rights for persons with disabilities in Africa

Six years after its adoption, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa came into force in May 2024 after securing the mandatory 15th ratification by the Republic of Congo. The other 14 African Union member states that have ratified the Protocol are Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and Uganda. 

For disability rights activists, this was a defining moment as the protocol augments the rights of persons with disabilities to barrier-free access to the physical environment, transportation, information, and other communication technologies and systems. Specifically, under articles 23 and 24 of the protocol, States Parties should take “effective and appropriate measures” to facilitate the full enjoyment by persons with disabilities of the right to freedom of expression and opinion and access to information, including through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has been a longstanding advocate for African governments to urgently ratify the protocol. However, CIPESA has also stated, including in submissions to the Africa Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), that ratifying the protocol would be a major but insufficient step in ensuring that persons with disabilities access and use digital technologies and that there is sufficient disaggregated data to inform programme interventions.

Indeed, article 24(2) requires States Parties to put in place policy, legislative, administrative, and other measures to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy the right to freedom of expression and access to information on an equal basis, including:

  1. Providing information intended for the general public as well as information required for official interactions with persons with disabilities in accessible formats and technologies appropriate to different kinds of disabilities in a timely manner and without additional cost to persons with disabilities. 
  2. Requiring private entities that provide services to the general public, including through the internet, to provide information and services in accessible and usable formats for persons with disabilities. 
  3. Recognising and promoting the use of sign language. 
  4. Ensuring that persons with visual impairments or with other print disabilities have effective access to published works, including by using information and communication technologies.

The protocol adds to the available digital rights advocacy tools for disability rights actors, including the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which places significant obligations on States Parties to take appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities have equal and meaningful access to ICT, including the internet. 

The CRPD was the first international human rights treaty requiring the accessibility of digital tools as a prerequisite for persons with disabilities to fully enjoy their fundamental rights without discrimination. It highlights the inherent risks of exclusion of persons with disabilities from participating equally in society by defining ICT accessibility as integral to general accessibility rights and on par with access to the physical environment and transportation.

While there has been some progress in the enactment of disability rights-respecting and ICT-enabling laws for persons with disabilities in Africa, implementation is a challenge. Moreover, the Protocol comes into force when the digital divide and exclusion of persons with disabilities has worsened despite the exponential growth and penetration of digital technologies on the continent. Persons with disabilities have consistently remained disproportionately excluded from the digital society due to factors such as low levels of ICT skills, high illiteracy levels, and high cost of assistive technologies such as screen readers, screen magnification software, text readers, and speech input software.

It is against this background that CIPESA adds its voice to other calls to the African Commission to expedite the establishment of a special mandate at the level of Special Rapporteur for Persons with Disabilities. This elevated position will ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities in Africa are mainstreamed and upheld.

CIPESA recognises that as a regional human rights instrument, the protocol empowers disability rights actors to demand the enactment and full implementation of policies and laws that promote the rights of persons with disabilities, including in accessing and using digital technologies.

For example, disability rights actors, including civil society, activists, and Disability Rights Organisations (DPOs), should develop mechanisms to monitor the status of implementation of the protocol, including ensuring that the states parties submit their statutory reports as required by Article 34 of the protocol. The DPOs should also actively participate in developing shadow reports on the status of implementation of the protocol, especially on access to information and participation in public affairs.

In addition, disability rights organisations should work with policymakers and the executive to ensure that more countries ratify the protocol and domesticate it through national policies, laws, and practices. Both the protocol and the CRPD should become a reference point during any discussions of draft laws and policies that affect persons with disabilities.

For the media, it is important that, through their reporting, they hold governments accountable for failure to ratify or to fully implement the provisions of the protocol.

Member countries can also demand for accountability of their peers on the status of implementation of the key provisions of the protocol through the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

Please read more about CIPESA submissions on policy actions governments should take after ratifying the protocol. See also The Disability and ICT Accessibility Framework for Monitoring the Implementation of ICT Accessibility Laws and Policies in Africa.

28Nov

African Commission Resolution to Bolster Data Governance

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Edrine Wanyama |

The Resolution adopted by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) during its 81st Ordinary Session held from October 17 to November 6, 2024 in Banjul, The Gambia potentially bolsters data protection and governance on the African continent.

The Resolution calls upon states parties to take all relevant measures to ensure transparent and accountable collection, processing, storage and access to data. It also underscores the importance of ethical principles in data usage, equitable access to data, and addressing biases to prevent structural inequalities while safeguarding privacy and combating discrimination.​

The resolution acknowledges the rapid advancement of technology and the increased dependence on data in governance and socio-economic development, and is in line with the African Union Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection, African Union’s Data Policy Framework, and the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030).

Similarly, this timely resolution aligns closely with the vision of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), which calls for inclusive, rights-based governance of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), and the ACHPR’s Resolution 473 on the need to undertake a study on human and peoples’ rights and AI, robotics and other new and emerging technologies. These frameworks emphasise the potential of data and digital technologies while cautioning against risks such as bias, inequities, unwarranted surveillance, and privacy violations.

By embedding human rights principles in digital governance, both the ACHPR’s Resolution 473 and the GDC advocate for responsibly leveraging digital tools to reduce inequalities and protect vulnerable populations. The ACHPR’s focus on equitable data access and capacity-building within African states resonates with the GDC’s call for global collaboration to address disparities in digital infrastructure and skills. Together, these initiatives present a unified agenda to ensure that digital technologies and AI are harnessed for equity, justice, and sustainable development that foster a shared vision for a more inclusive digital age.

The ACHPR Resolution further urges state parties to ensure open access to data which is in possession of public and private in public interest, in accordance with the prescribed regional and international human rights standards.

The Resolution reinforces the African Union’s Data Policy Framework which, among others, seeks to maximise the benefits of the data-driven economy for African countries. With common anticipated benefits, data governance systems will be harmonised to enable secure and free data flow on the continent which potentially contributes to a people-centred approach which is not inward-looking for individuals, institutions and businesses and, enhances data utility for accelerated attainment of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

There is increasing recognition of the need for data governance frameworks that create a safe and trustworthy digital environment, foster intra-Africa digital trade, enable states’ cooperation on data governance, enable domestication of continental policies, and ensure free and secure data flows across the continent. As such, the  Resolution also calls for the establishment of collaborative mechanisms, coordinating data issues, enabling and facilitating competitiveness in the global economy, promoting sustainable data use and benefits to society, as well as facilitating innovative ways to promote and maximise benefits of data for the African peoples.

Besides, the Resolution will potentially grow the impetus of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to adopt harmonised data governance systems, which will quicken continental initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement whose growth and benefits depend on secure and free cross-border data flows. For instance, the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are set to develop regional data governance policy frameworks with the aim of harmonising data governance in the region for economic growth and regional integration.

The Resolution echoes sentiments shared in various panels at the September Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2024 (#FIFAfrica), which highlighted contemporary issues in data governance in Africa, including in collection, management, and processing of data. The Forum emphasised the role of national and regional actors in policy harmonisation, enabling greater cross-border data flows, maximising the benefits of data for all countries and all citizens, and the need for greater privacy protections over personal data. Among others, speakers at FIFAfrica singled out  national parliaments, RECs, civil society organisations, the African Union, and the private sector as having pivotal roles to play in promoting effective data governance.

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