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| Doreen Nyanjura ©Photography: Esther Ruth Mbabazi ©Photo Editor: Will Lanzoni |
Ugandan Women politicians are standing up to online bullies.
Doreen Nyanjura is a modern politician who announced on Twitter that she would be standing in Uganda's 2026 presidential election and has a catchy hashtag: #ThePoliticalAntidote. However, she faces the now-standard challenges of being a woman in politics: tweets of support or disdain, as well as tweets of misogynistic mockery. Nyanjura is no stranger to online personal attacks, covering everything from the length of her hair to her age and marital status. "The fact that I am single was another reason for the bullying, with many saying that it was the reason I got the position," Nyanjura tells CNN. People will say, "I am not responsible because I am not married," if they ever saw her with a man, even just standing next to one, they would want to make it an issue.
The 33-year-old politician, Nyanjura, was a student activist at Makerere University in Kampala before entering politics in 2016 and joining the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), one of Uganda's main opposition parties. Nyanjura says that the harassment she gets on social media and messaging platforms is worse when she advocates for gender equality. She adds that her advocacy posts on social media usually get lifted and shared across several WhatsApp groups, followed by abuse on all platforms. Nyanjura also receives threats of physical attacks when planning a demonstration and posting about them on social media. At first, the abuse made her feel awful, but aware that her abusers want to silence her, Nyanjura has decided to stand her ground and be a positive example for other women in public life.
Recent surveys in Uganda have revealed that one in three (32.8%) women between 18 and 65 surveyed had experienced gender-based online violence. A 2021 study found that this increased among women leaders and high-profile women, with 50% experiencing trolling. The use of social media platforms by women politicians to engage with voters was low compared to men. In the lead-up to the 2021 election, the numbers continued to decrease due to the online abuse that (women) were facing. Another 2021 study on women in Africa's parliaments, conducted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the African Parliamentary Union (APU), further found that 42% of women parliamentarians have received death threats, rape threats, or threats of beating or abduction, usually online. The report, the second by the IPU, following one in 2018 on European parliaments, found that online attacks are also common but lower than in Europe, attributing the difference to more significant disparities in women's access to the internet between the two regions.
Olive Namazzi, a 34-year-old woman in the FDC, and Nyanjura, a 34-year-old woman in the FDC, have both experienced cyberbullying from their male peers. Namazzi, who has a disability and wears specially-made shoes, has been subjected to abuse on social media for more than a decade. Nyanjura's account shows that women MPs who promote women's rights and gender equality are also targeted. The IPU and APU's 2021 research found that most abuse women parliamentarians face comes from their male peers, especially those from rival parties, and that women parliamentarians with disabilities and those who are unmarried, under 40, and from minority groups suffer more violence. Nyanjura's account shows that women MPs who promote women's rights and gender equality are also targeted.
Uganda's Computer Misuse Act initially prohibited offensive communication and cyber harassment but was amended in 2022 to add hate speech. Cyber harassment is punishable by a fine of "up to seven hundred and fifty currency points", imprisonment of up to seven years, or both. However, experts and human rights organisations have long raised concerns that the law can be used to silence activists or opponents of the government, undermining the ability and efficacy of laws as tools against cybercrime. Multiple legal and women's rights experts told CNN that the challenges with using the law to successfully prosecute online harassment result in women deciding not to report abuses to the relevant authorities. The Uganda Police Force and the Justice Ministry have not responded to CNN's request for comment.
Experts and activists in the country say better-targeted protections are needed to ensure women stay vocal and visible in Ugandan politics and feel confident sharing their work and views as much as men in the same positions of power. Civil society organisations like Pollicy have spent years creating national and regional programs to help women protect themselves online, including a digital game, Digital Safe-tea, which taught Namazzi how to respond to her bullies. Pollicy also runs training events for women policymakers, such as the Vote: Women program, where participants could share personal experiences and get training in digital resilience, combatting online violence and harassment, and engaging safely in public debate. The Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), an NGO that promotes the use of technology among women, girls, and women's rights organisations, is working with Uganda's beleaguered women politicians to achieve what they say the laws in place are failing to accomplish. Peace Amuge, Executive Director of WOUGNET, points out that while the hate speech amendment does mention gender, Uganda's Computer Misuse Act does not explicitly cover online gender-based violence, which they are advocating for.
Nyanjura and Namazzi are determined to stay engaged in politics, despite the costs. Namazzi is determined to keep on and attack them right back, while Nyanjura is decided to tell other women that if women do not embrace the digital world, they will be left behind. The Ugandan Ministry of Information and Communication Technology did not respond to CNN's requests for comment.
This article is originally sourced from cnn.com by Adie Vanessa Offiong
