Using cell phones to fight gender-based violence

Ivan Louis Pinno is passionate about his work. Born on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, one might think that it is not just a job for him, but a calling. 

When his father died, his mother raised Pinno, his brother and his sister on her own. "I’m a middle child. Maybe that’s why I’m obliged to help others," Pinno says. His mother was a doctor at the local hospital. He felt deep respect "seeing Mum coming back home late and then trying to put food on the table." His mother’s patients were women from the rural area. He learned at an early age, what life looks like outside the urban centers – especially for women.

Technology for social change 

Pinno is now 41 years old, married and has a son and a daughter. He became an information technologist. During the pandemic, Pinno finally realized that there was an information gap between urban and rural areas, which was dramatically life-threatening at the time, particularly leaving women behind. In 2019, he co-founded the civic tech organization Digital Woman Uganda (DWU). This organization teaches digital skills to women and girls in urban and rural areas. "For me, it’s important to bring them closer to services and information that will empower them to make more meaningful decisions and maybe also improve their lives," says Pinno. DWU advocates for the rights of women and girls to access the internet as well as for gender-sensitive policies.

Less information, less opportunity 

Inequality of opportunities hits women in Uganda harder. A DW Akademie research found that young women in rural areas face more obstacles than young men when they want to inform themselves, such as limited income to afford media devices or data. "Out of five people that live in the rural areas, only one person has a smartphone because it's too expensive in Uganda to own one. The costs related to the internet are high. 1GB can go for around 2 dollars. These are people who basically depend on less than a dollar a day. Finally, there's the issue of access to electricity," Pinno explains. In addition, there are language barriers and a lack of media and information literacy. Gender and cultural norms in rural areas hinder women from speaking up in public debates or decision-making processes – and expose them to gender-based violence.

Gender-based violence in Uganda 

According to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2022, 58 percent of ever-married women have experienced emotional, sexual or physical violence from their current or most recent spouse/partner. 52 percent of women have never sought help nor told anyone about the violence. "It's bitter belittling, stigma and taboo. Many people don't want to come out to speak about it," Pinno says. A third (33 percent) of the women and 30 percent of men agree that a husband is justified in beating his wife for at least one of the following reasons: if she burns the food, argues with him, goes out without telling him, neglects the children or refuses to have sex with him. "Just because it's part of the culture doesn't make it right. So, I started thinking about how I can help rural woman come out of this beating?"

It all started with an idea 

In 2023, Pinno took part in DW Akademie’s (Re)Claiming Spaces project. It was aimed at young visionaries, creative minds and change-makers in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, willing to spark change: How can relevant information reach women in rural areas? What existing opportunities can be taped into? How can women’s voices be strengthened? During an IdeaLab in Kampala, Pinno was introduced to the Human-Centered Design approach to solving problems. "I realized that to truly make an impact, we needed to design something built around the tools already in the hands of these women - basic feature mobile phones," Pinno explained. That insight led to the birth of Mobimocc, a mobile-based consultation and e-learning platform, that features on-demand access to GBV information, referral pathways, psychosocial support and voice-based learning on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) – even for those without smartphones or internet access, powered by an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. With DW Akademie’s seed funding, Pinno brought his idea to life. Over 3,200 users have been reached within the pilot phase from 2023 to 2024 in Busia and Tororo districts in Southeast Uganda; now it’s used by 4591 users in 12 districts countrywide with more to come. 

As smart as simple: Using Interactive Voice Response 

Everyone has been annoyed at some point when stuck in an IVR queue. For the women Pinno reaches with his development, this technology can be life-changing – or even life-saving. With Mobimocc, the user calls a number or gets a scheduled call and engages through keypress or voice responses. Learners can listen to the content, record questions and receive timely feedback from the system, local law enforcement officers or gender-based violence councilors via text notifications. 

For the women, not without them 

Before DWU, Pinno worked for different organizations on GBV and related issues in rural communities. "They already knew me. This time I just had to go and sit down with them. They fitted all their issues, and we tried to understand," Pinno recalls. So, the offer was co-developed by the women from the rural communities. "The English language content about GBV that they used to hear on radio, was literally not speaking to them. So, we translated this content into their own languages. The women, especially the young ones, helped us." Meanwhile, the service is available in seven local languages, among them Acholi, Luganda, Samia, Lugwere, Jopadhola, Ateso and Swahili. It was also the women who expressed the desire for the offer to be anonymous. "The whole co-creation process we've always seen as part of sustainability and success," Pinno says. "The women themselves go out and speak about the system. They're like, oh, why don't you be a part of our community?" 

A success story 

International partnerships have helped Mobimocc grow – most recently, new funding support from UNDP, alongside previous grants from GIZ and the African Union, which have enabled Pinno to scale the impact of his project. Earlier this year, he was honored to receive the CIVICUS Nelson Mandela – Graça Machel Innovation Award in Thailand. "This South-to-South exchange is very precious to me," says Pinno. Recently, Pinno and his team launched a panic button for the smartphone app. In the future, he plans to scale Mobimocc nationally, integrate AI-powered response features and partner with local governments to institutionalize digital referral systems for GBV response. 

Tech is not the solution, but it’s an answer

For Pinno, technology alone is not enough – it must be local, human-centered and backed by trusted community actors. 

"Everybody is equal. No one is above the other. Life is really precious and it is important that we rely on each other to get to some place."

It takes policies and laws to end gender-based violence. But above all it takes communities: (religious) leaders, the elderly, youth, women – and men. Ivan Louis Pinno is one of them.