KAMPALA, Uganda — Reach A Hand Uganda (RAHU) on Monday conducted a community outreach in Lungujja to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
The outreach, held under the theme “Breaking the Silence,” emphasized the critical role of men and boys as allies in addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS.
Benson Muhindo, the acting country director of RAHU, called upon everyone to take action and speak up against any injustices against women and men.
“We need to take action and speak up against any injustices against women and men,” Muhindo said. “We also need to strengthen the probation offices and the child and family protection units in the districts by financing them to efficiently deal with gender-based violence issues.”
Muhindo also urged law enforcers to stop corruption tendencies that limit access to justice for GBV survivors.
“We call upon enforcers of the law to stop corruption tendencies that have limited access to justice for Gender-Based Violence survivors,” he said.
Sheila Kasabiti, the Programs Manager at Reach A Hand Uganda, stated that the campaign aims to raise awareness about gender-based violence in Lungujja and other communities while encouraging people to adopt a culture of reporting GBV cases.
“Today we are here celebrating 16 days of activism and also letting people know that it’s okay to break the silence. We’re here to create more awareness about the gender based violence that we’re experiencing in our communities,” she said.
Kasabiti revealed that while the number of women reporting gender-based violence cases remains high, there has been a significant increase in men coming forward to report GBV cases as well.
“We have seen a significant increase of men that are coming out reporting GBV cases and working together with them. We are encouraging them that let us all work together to ensure that the issues of gender based violence are addressed,” Kasabiti said.
She stated that although many women report gender-based violence cases, a significant number of women and girls still remain silent despite experiencing it. She encouraged them to break the silence and speak out.
“We are seeing a very high proportion of women who continuously are reporting cases of gender based violence. But we also focus on the fact that there’s so many out there that are not able to report these cases.”
Kasabiti highlighted poverty as one of the key drivers of gender-based violence, explaining that extreme poverty within families and communities often leads to acts of injustice. She urged the government and other stakeholders to implement programs aimed at alleviating poverty.
“We have noted that one of the other drivers to gender based violence is poverty. We are living in a community where there’s a lot of poverty around us, and because of poverty, people are subjected to do different acts that are subjecting the people around them to injustices.”
Kasabiti also identified cultural norms and HIV as drivers of gender-based violence, noting that misinterpreted practices often restrict women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services, compounded by limited knowledge and poverty.
Kasabiti added that many men are victims of abuse by women but are reluctant to speak out due to fear of being perceived as less of a man by society.
“We’re seeing a lot of cases of men being battered by their family by the women in their communities, men being denied the right to speak because of the women in their communities. And those are some of the issues that we are trying to address and make everyone understand in a community. We all require access to the justice that we need.”
Allen Namuwonge, a councillor in Lungujja Zone 8, noted that they receive numerous gender-based violence (GBV) cases daily. She expressed that the launch of this campaign in her area will help raise awareness and foster a strong culture of reporting GBV cases.
“Every day, we receive cases of gender-based violence, especially among the youth, as many girls and boys aged 15-21 are getting married in my area. Just last year, a wife burned her husband with hot water because he wasn’t providing as she expected. She is currently in prison. Had there been programs like this, she could have reported the issue instead of resorting to such an extreme act, which has kept her behind bars to this day.”
Agnes Nansikombi, a mother of two and a resident of Lungujja, expressed her gratitude for the campaign, stating that it will help protect them from the inhumane behavior of their husbands.
She happily shared that her husband, who has been physically abusive when under the influence of alcohol, attended the launch. She is hopeful that he will return home with a changed mindset.
