Digital IDs For Refugees in Uganda

My name is Ivan Bossa, I have been to Bidi bidi refugee Camp for 1year. I have witnessed the challenges Refugees go through to access services.

Globally, more than 1 billion people lack identity papers. In our modern world this excludes them from services and socio-economic participation, it limits their access, to work, housing, a mobile phone, and a bank account. the lack of a documented identity constitutes for vulnerable and already marginalized people a constant risk of transgressing the lines between legal and illegal. Most people affected by the lack of legal identity live in their own country and may have chances of obtaining identity documents if specific measures are put in place in their favor. But what if you don’t live in your home area but abroad if you are a foreigner, migrant, asylum seeker or refugee? In this situation, protection risks are high while chances of obtaining a legal and recognized identity and inclusion are low.

In Uganda, Some refugees have had a chance to get Digital IDs amidst challenges such as waiting outside in long lines for days trying to register. A participant said, “We would stay from morning to sunset waiting to be registered, even the children suffered from the sun. There was no water to drink. People were suffering some people were insulting us. They said that we Sudanese were dirty.” However, in these situations, they felt that they had no choice but to endure the humiliation since they badly needed the assistance that was being provided.

They had issues with the privacy and security of the data collected. People caught in humanitarian crises fear to have their personal information leaked or their location identified, and fears of being tracked. Care should be taken to ensure that all data is de-identified and no personal information is collected without consent.

In Uganda, many refugees have little to no knowledge or visibility into the institutional processes through which their personal data is managed and shared, including which organizations have access to their data. This lack of transparency often results in confusion, disappointment, and anxiety about the safety and privacy of their information. Despite these concerns, refugees are desperate for assistance and often have no choice but to provide organizations with all of the information that they request.

I, therefore, call upon each one of us to contribute to this Campaign that will advocate for a Right to know why they collect the information, where the information is managed from, and its security, and why refugees should provide the information for them to access their digital IDS.

#EveryoneHasARightToInformation
#RightToPersonalIdentity
#AdollarCounts

Be blessed as you give to the marginalized Communities.