Wakiso District Human Rights Committee (WDHRC) in collaboration with CIPESA and Katabi Town Council conducted an insightful dialogue on navigating digital landscapes attracting participation by local leaders and various small business owners.
The engagement held at the Katabi town council headquarters in Kitala, Wakiso district aimed to introduce the concept of digital rights in the community while advancing respect for human rights by businesses in Uganda.
According to the WDHRC’s chairperson, Elly Kasirye, through such engagements, they have trained small business owners to use digital platforms in their day-to-day work as well as providing them with digital security skills to run and safeguard their businesses.
“In the same avenue, we have also conducted radio talk shows mostly in Wakiso, Kampala, as well as Mokono district and through such talk shows, we have created awareness on digital rights to over five million Ugandans,” he said.
Kasirye therefore appealed to the government to offer digital alternatives to traders, specifically advocating for reduced data prices to facilitate digital marketing, as they enforce the trade order.
During the same engagement, the Katabi town council boss, Ronald Kalema revealed that the council has transitioned to a digital approach in its operations, addressing previous challenges that hindered office efficiency.
“I championed this shift and it has enabled us to streamline processes, enhance productivity,” he said.
Kalema also emphasised the need for stringent data protection measures to prevent unauthorised sharing of sensitive information, particularly regarding businesses and marital relationships hence urging government agencies, especially NIRA and hospitals to be conscious about it.
The Wakiso District Human Rights Lawyer, Mujib Kateregga cautioned schools against publishing images of students without obtaining prior consent from parents, citing potential breaches of privacy and child protection rights.
In addition, he noted that no crime is shameful for a victim to report because victims of sexual assault and rape tend to fear judgment from society.
“The moment you fear judgment and conceal this crime, you given the offender liberty to offend more people in the society, so please do not conceal these crimes, if you are raped before even doing anything take this to the attention of the law enforcement officers, follow up on the investigations to see that these matters are reported to the courts of law for deliverance of justice,” he said.
Ben Moses Kuboi, the DPC Wakiso Prison said that silence in the face of injustice can perpetuate harm hence encouraging the general public and local leaders to speak out against injustices within their communities.
Despite the fact that communities are willing to learn and use digital skills in their day-to-day work, the legal and policy environment is not supportive of the same. It’s hard to identify even a digital rights by-law which leaves a gap in the safety and protection of data while online and the safety of the users.
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