MAKERERE – Makerere University’s 85th Guild President Julius Kateregga has on Thursday, July 1, visited the Directorate of Gender Mainstreaming which deals with issues of Gender equality and sexual harassment.
According to Hon. Kirabo Marion, the Directorate is more than willing to help the Students’ leadership in a bid to fight sexual harassment at the University.
“Sexual harassment will be wiped away through organizing public lectures around different Colleges about the particular matter throughout the coming semester,” she said.
The Guild President went ahead to present the ongoing project “Two for One” under the Ministry of Gender and Integrity led by Hon. Kirabo Marion which is going to run next semester.
The project is aimed at creating awareness and finding solutions to Sexual harassment through Arts , drama, music and plays among others.
In the past two years, Makerere University has been facing various cases of sexual harassment whereby female students were the most victims.
Gender Mainstreaming Directorate embarked on sensitizing students about the vice and advised them to report such cases to the Directorate as soon as possible so that the harasser is punished.
In March 2018, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe appointed a five-member committee headed by Prof. Sylvia Tamale to investigate the causes of the increasing cases of sexual harassment, review the Policy and Regulations against Sexual Harassment and make recommendations for its improvement, and receive submissions on sexual harassment at Makerere University.
The committee which consisted of Dr. Betty Ezati, Dr. Consolata Kabonesa, Dr. Christopher Mbazira and Dr. Aaron Mushengyezi and Gender Mainstreaming Directorate presented its first report to stakeholders for validation on May 18, 2018, in Makerere University Main Hall.
According to Prof. Tamale, the report provided preliminary findings of the committee on causes of sexual harassment at Makerere University, insights on the weakness and gaps in the Policy and Regulations against Sexual Harassment and suggested recommendations.
