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Women and girls in fishing communities decry sexual harassment
Women and girls from Kisubi parish fishing communities carry placards bearing disatisfication words against sexual harassment. Photo | Eve Muganga
What you need to know:
- Ms Betty Nakisirinya, a resident of the Bugiri-Bukasa fishing community, said women who engage in the fishing business go through sexual harassment, especially when they go to landing sites to collect fish for sale
Women and girls residing in fishing communities including; Bugiri-Bukasa, Kiwulwe and Kasenyi, in Katabi Town Council in Wakiso District, have expressed their concern over sexual harassment by fishermen.
Ms Betty Nakisirinya, a resident of the Bugiri-Bukasa fishing community, highlighted the plight of women and girls in these areas.
“Our fellow women who engage in the fishing business go through sexual harassment, especially when they go to landing sites to collect fish. The fishermen openly ask them for sex, and touch their breasts and bums, which affects them emotionally. That is why we have come out to speak so that they are helped,” she said.
The revelation was made at the launch of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse (PSHEA) campaign by the SOS Children’s Villages Uganda, held at Kiwulwe playground in Kawuku on November 27, 2023.
The campaign is spearheaded by women in the fishing community of Kisubi Parish under the theme “Ending sexual violence in fishing communities.”
Ms Pauline Muganza, a resident of Kiwulwe Cell narrated: “When a girl goes to the landing site to buy fish for sale, the fishermen present love-making as a pre-condition for doing business with them, which puts the girls in a compromising condition and they end up sleeping with about six different fishermen against their will.”
Mr Ali Muzeeyi, Chairperson of the Bylaw Committee at Bugiri-Bukasa Cell said they enacted bylaws on sexual harassment and exploitation against women and girls, child labour and negligence, in order to clamp down on the errant men, and have since sent it to Katabi Town Council for approval.
“The reason why we came up with the bylaws is that we are surrounded by the fishing communities, and many women have joined the fishing business and the majority get fish for selling, but we found out that Fishermen sexually harass them in exchange for fish. Some end up sleeping with the fishermen because of the situation. They aren’t raped but are vulnerable because of the situation and they end up getting infected with HIV,” he said.
Ms Beatrice Akello, Program Coordinator at SOS Children’s Villages in Entebbe noted that sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse of women in the fishing community is a practice that has been ongoing for a long time and most times the victims have not been able to speak up because of fear.
“We have had focused group discussions with the women and it is through such discussions that revelations like the need to bribe in order to get fish came up. For the women, the bribing is through offering sex. The culture of sex for fish has to end now, and this is the campaign that we are advocating for in liaison with women and local leaders,” she said.
