Uganda

For over two decades, north and north eastern Uganda experienced armed conflicts that caused immense suffering. However, women have been excluded from peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction and the conflicts have left a legacy of violence against women.

Many experience sexual assault, domestic violence, and early and forced marriage. Legislation banning violence against women has been passed but hasn’t been put into action. Women still have low status, little financial independence, and are at high risk of developing HIV and AIDS.

• 58 per cent of women believe that a husband is justified in beating his wife (Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2011).
• Just under half of women have experienced physical violence from a partner, while over a third have experienced sexual violence from one (UN Women 2011-2012).
• Women hold just under a third of seats in parliament (UN Women 2011-2012).
• 360 women die in childbirth for every 100,000 babies born alive (World Bank Data).

Helping women and girls recognise their rights

Most cases of violence against women go unreported because women aren't aware of their rights or what help is available. In the rare cases that violence is reported, women are often mistreated and crimes go unpunished.

Stopping violence against women in rural areas of Uganda means changing attitudes towards the rights and roles of women. Experience has shown that women themselves are best placed to develop strategies to educate and motivate their communities to work for equality.

We are working with our partner the National Association of Women Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU) in northern and central Uganda on:

• Raising awareness about women’s rights and violence against women, for example through radio shows
• Providing women survivors of violence with information about and access to legal support and counselling
• Training influential community members to foster a culture of support for women’s rights and provide communities with someone to speak to about violence against women
• Helping women save their own money and take out loans.

Advancing the rights of women survivors of conflict

The needs of women in Northern Uganda who have lived through the war have been ignored in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction because of the traditional views and beliefs around their role in society.

Their exclusion means they don’t have a say in the decisions that affect them and the future of their country.

With our help, Isis – Women’s International Cross Cultural Exchange (Isis-WICCE) is:

• Running a Women’s Task Force, a coalition of women’s rights organisations which work together to build support for women’s rights in government
• Strengthening the skills of the Women’s Task Force and female councillors to lobby in Uganda’s 111 districts for improved health and education services and plans to take women’s rights into account
• Improving the way women are consulted about issues that affect them.
• Enhancing engagement of women in decision making through building an awareness of rights e.g. through engagement with teachers

Our impact in Uganda

Thanks to our partnership with women’s organisations in Uganda last year, we:

• Trained 100 cultural and religious leaders on violence against women and raised awareness of the issue through drama productions
• Reached 350 people in rural communities with messages about violence against women, increasing referrals to the police and counselling services
• Highlighted women’s role in peacebuilding in the Ugandan government’s Peace, Recovery and Development Plan for Northern Uganda, which is being approved by parliament
• Recruited new midwives in local health centres by lobbying local government
• Helped more girls go to school by helping schools to monitor pupil numbers.

Find out more about our impact

Help us do more

£52 can hire a space to train community members to record women’s rights violations and support survivors of violence.

£94 can pay for a drama group leader to raise awareness of violence against women.

£127 can help organise a meeting with cultural and religious leaders to raise their awareness of women’s rights, including providing transport to and from the meeting, refreshments and materials.

Donate now