MAKERERE – Just after sunrise, the crowds began to gather at Makerere University’s iconic Main Gate, comprising students, diplomats, faculty members, and male changemakers, all dressed in purple T-shirts and orange ribbons, ready to march. By 8:00 am, the group had swelled, spilling onto the road as whistles signalled the start of one of the largest gender-based violence (GBV) mobilisations on any Ugandan campus this year.
They walked under a simple slogan: Stride for Change, the theme of this year’s global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. But on Monday morning, the conversation was different. No longer centred only on physical or sexual assault, the focus shifted to the fastest-growing threat facing Uganda’s young women, digital violence.
From cyber harassment and online threats to the non-consensual sharing of images, cases have risen sharply alongside the country’s expanding digital footprint. For many young women, abuse no longer begins in a dark alley; it starts on a smartphone.
UNFPA’s Country Representative, Ms. Christina Blokastekem, didn’t mince words as she addressed the sea of students at the Rugby Grounds.
“Cyber harassment, non-consensual sharing of images, threats online, we all know that these things are increasing in normalcy. Laws alone cannot change that. Violence has changed and we have to change that,” she said. Turning to the men in the audience, she added, “Men, we need your assistance. I am talking to men as changemakers because things don’t change without influence combined with responsibility.”
Her message echoed one of the central themes of this year’s campaign: men must become frontline allies in the fight against GBV, both offline and online.
Representing the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Winfred Kabumbuli, the Academic Registrar, opened the walk with a call for collective action.
“Gender-based violence is a scourge. It affects all of us, and we must work collectively to end it. Makerere is working to ensure a safe, inclusive environment. Together, we can make a difference,” she said.
The UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Leonard Zulu, said the walk symbolised a shift, from awareness to action.
“Gender equality is everybody’s responsibility. Today we shine a light on men as allies, as advocates who are committed to ending all forms of violence, including digital violence,” he said. “Your energy is sending a message to the whole country that the future is safe in good hands. Equality becomes achievable when men and women rise together.”
For the student leaders who marched, the point of the day was clear: this was not a symbolic ritual. It was a statement.
“We don’t just walk together today. The statement we all made is that there is no place in our lives for GBV. Today’s activity is not a ceremony, it is a march toward real change,” said Kembabazi Comfort, Makerere’s Minister of Gender, Ethics and Integrity.
Third-year medical student Mugerwa Eric said what happens online now shapes what happens everywhere else.
“This is a campaign led by people with real online influence—Lwanga, Navio, Publo, Dr. Kasenene, Jim Spire Ssentongo and others. Their posts will help people understand GBV and how to prevent it. Nowadays, most violence happens online, so anything that raises awareness there is the first step,” he said.
Sponsored by Makerere University, the Embassy of Sweden in Uganda, and UNFPA, the walk was the official start of 16 days of activism. But on campus, many felt as though something larger had begun: an acknowledgment that the violence facing women and girls has entered a new age—and that the response must, too.
By the time the crowd dispersed, the message was unmistakable: whether on the street or on the screen, GBV has no place here. Makerere’s walk was not just a show of solidarity but an early step in a long, urgent march.