Feminist Movements in Uganda Face Rising Threats Amid Funding Cuts, Digital Violence, and Climate Pressures

10 December 2025, 10:05 pm

By Annet Nakato.

Feminist movements across Uganda and the wider region are grappling with a rapidly shifting landscape defined by rising violence against women and girls (VAWG), shrinking civic space, intensifying climate crises, and an alarming surge in digital and online violence.

These challenges come at a time when coordinated action, collective resilience, and solidarity among feminist organisations are more critical than ever.

Civil society groups report that budget cuts and shifting donor priorities have significantly undermined feminist programming, disrupting long-standing initiatives and limiting opportunities for advocacy on women’s and girls’ rights.

Women human rights defenders are also facing heightened surveillance and targeted harassment, particularly on digital platforms, creating new risks for activists and communities they support.

Advocates warn that the combination of reduced funding, increased online hostility, and climate-induced insecurity demands bold, adaptive and feminist-led strategies.“As the pressures grow from digital violence to climate disasters we must reimagine feminist futures built on justice, equity and environmental sustainability,” feminist leaders note.

These realities form the backdrop to this year’s 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign that invites renewed reflection on the state of feminist organising and the strategies needed to sustain movements.

During a high-level dialogue held at Hotel Africana in Kampala, members of the Domestic Violence Act Coalition, which includes Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), CEDOVIP, Akina Mama wa Africa, Women Probono Initiative, and several other organisations, urged Parliament to champion stronger legal and policy frameworks that address online abuse. They also asked MPs to ensure that Uganda’s commitments against gender-based violence are fully aligned with the African Union’s mechanisms on ending violence against women.

WOUGNET Executive Director, Sandra Aceng said civil society groups working to eliminate violence against women must be given support and more room to educate the public on the growing problem of technology facilitated gender-based violence.

She noted that women and girls continue to face harassment, threats, bullying, and other forms of abuse on social media, which silences their participation in digital spaces.

Aceng stressed that the fight against online violence cannot be won without empowering communities with knowledge on safe digital practices and strengthening systems that hold perpetrators accountable.

Buky Williams of Akina Mama wa Africa appealed to media housesandcommunication platforms to take responsibility for creating safer online spaces. She observed that many perpetrators now use mobile phones and digital platforms to insult, stalk, and intimidate women.

Williams warned that online violence goes beyond social media and often extends to messaging apps and other communication channels, urging Ugandans to stay alert and report any form of digital abuse.

The organisations emphasised that protecting women and girls online is critical to ensuring they can fully enjoy their rights and participate in public life without fear. They called on Parliament to make online safety a national priority as the country marks this year’s Human Rights Day.