Activists call for more funding to fight GBV
Victims of gender-based violence are supported through safe shelters in the oil districts.PHOTO/FILE
What you need to know:
- Out of these, 8,064 were domestic violence, 6,838 were defilement, 749 were rape and 223 were aggravated domestic violence that resulted in death.
Activists have attributed the high number of gender-based violence to little allocation of funds and poor implementation of laws.
According to the 2021 police crime report, about 16,242 cases of gender-based violence were recorded last year.
Out of these, 8,064 were domestic violence, 6,838 were defilement, 749 were rape and 223 were aggravated domestic violence that resulted in death.
As Uganda joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, women remain the most affected.
“At least 223 women and girls succumb to gender and sexual violence every year, and after every three minutes a woman is conceiving a baby,” Ms Lillian Sangoba, the executive director of Care International, said, citing the Ministry of Gender.
“Justice is frustrated by an inadequate number of critical facilities such as shelters where GBV victims can be accommodated and receive counselling as well as an absence of specialised courts where it is safe for women to report their case,” she said.
She lauded the government for its efforts in fighting the vice but advised it to adjust the budget for the justice process.
“Unless justice is provided to the women, the survivors of gender-based violence will still take a toll on the development of the country since women and girls are the biggest population in the country and we need to consider them as key in the development,” Ms Sangoba said.
“We have very good policies, so let’s put them to practice to see the balance between what the law says and what is happening in communities as we look at the two from the government relating to the budget,” she said.
Ms Raho Bukirwa, a legal officer at Women’s Pro Bono Initiative, said most of these concerns stem from implementation.
She added that having women in decision-making positions is not enough but that meaningful participation would help reduce GBV cases against them.
