Hon. Peace Mutuuzo Minister of State for Gender and Culture visits Kapchorwa on Activism to End Violence against Women and Girls
Problem Statement And Justification

Gender based violence (GBV) in Uganda is perceived as a national problem and of growing concern because of its linkage to the spread of HIV and STD infections, unwanted pregnancies and the trauma experienced by victims, its direct negative impact on the dignity of victims and productivity in general.

In Busoga, very few women and men who experience violence report the incidence to relevant authorities. Challenges to address this problem include the absence of a harmonized national strategy and the inadequacy of legal, medical and social services in comparison to the magnitude of the problem.

Changing attitudes to GBV requires continuous community mobilization to promote behaviour change using unique strategies that increase meaningful involvement of men in GBV response, yet the capacity of duty bearers such as the LC courts; police etc, to judiciously handle cases of sexual violence is limited.

A mapping study coordinated by MGLSD with support from Irish Aid (2009) aimed to establish the presence of actors (Local Government, NGOs, and CBOS) responding to GBV through service delivery.

The study established that the majority of interventions were concentrated in Northern Uganda with coverage in other parts of the country at less than 5 percent.

These findings indicate a gap in service provision in other areas of the country including Busoga; where in 2006, the Uganda Demographic Health Survey (UDHS) established the highest incidence of sexual violence cases against women (53 percent) in Uganda.