As the world commemorates the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, civil society youth leaders have called upon the government to intensify the fight against gender-based violence in Uganda.
Speaking to the media at the Youth Line forum offices in Ministers Village in Ntinda on December 10, 2024, the youth leaders under their coalition of Civil Society Organization (CSO) and GBV activists asked the Ministry of Justice to follow up on the many reported but unsolved cases of GBV.
A feminist and human rights activist, Ruth Asiimwe Kabugo, suggested that the responsible entities need to follow up on the reported cases of GBV, convict the perpetrators, and seek justice for the victims.
“According to the 2023 police crime report, only 1520 out of 14,681 reported cases of domestic violence reached courts, with only 423 resulting in convictions, and this is where we as activists want the government to focus and bring justice to the victims,” Asiimwe said.
According to activist and lawyer at Makerere University, Rubunda Owen, women continue to face high risks of gender-based violence, and men continue to be the biggest perpetuators, and this should come to an end.
“From the available statistics, out of 15,184 reported cases, 10,792 were female and 4,392 were male, which shows that women suffer GBV more than their male counterparts, and this should be challenged,” Rubunda stated.
Rubunda asked community leaders, religious leaders, political leaders, cultural leaders, and all key stakeholders to continue raising awareness about the dangers of GBV and call for an end to violence against women.
One of the activists working with Youth Line Forum, a national youth and women-based organisation, Leah Mugasa, said police understaffing and limited resources have hindered the pursuit for justice and conclusion of investigations.
“We call upon the government of Uganda to increase funding for police so that they can be able to investigate and conclude these reported cases,” Mugasa said.
The 16 days of activism against GBV run from November 25 to December 10 every year worldwide to raise awareness about gender-based violence under the global theme ‘Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls.’
