This study examined how effectively Ugandan law protects women against gender-based violence (GBV) and how selected judicial decisions shaped that protection. A mixed-methods design combined doctrinal analysis of the 1995 Constitution, the Domestic Violence Act, 2010 and landmark decisions of the Constitutional and Supreme Courts with a cross-sectional analysis of 400 women. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression were applied. Legal awareness, education and access to legal aid were positively associated with perceived legal protection, while rural residence was negatively associated; together the predictors explained 60.6 per cent of the variance in perceived protection. Legal awareness, legal aid and prior exposure to violence increased the odds of reporting to a formal authority, whereas rural residence reduced them. The study concluded that Uganda’s normative framework was progressive but that enforcement, awareness and access gaps limited its practical effect. Recommendations focused on legal aid expansion, rural outreach, specialized court procedures and the enactment of outstanding legislation.