Henry Wajego, a Village Health Worker-VHT in Wakisi Division Njeru Municipality, says that their area has been receiving several GBV cases but survivors have been missing justice after losing interest in police where they are asked to fund investigations.
The Legal
Aid Service Provider’s Network-LASPNET has rolled out a community-legal watch
brief campaign aimed at combating the increasing cases of Gender-Based
Violence-GBV cases in Mukono, Buikwe and Kayunga districts.
The campaign funded by European Union will run
for a period of two years at a cost of 45, 000 euros. LASPNET Chief Executive
Officer, Sylvia Namubiru Mukasa, says that the campaign is aimed at training
community watch committees to identify and report GVB cases, equip them with bicycles
for monitoring and toll-free lines that they will use to report violence cases
to designated lawyers for follow up.
She says
that the campaign was prompted by the rampant cases of violence reported in the
three districts in the media, police report (2020) and LASPNET baseline survey
that confirmed violation of human rights, life-threatening, health and
protection issues during the COVID-19 period where domestic violence, rape,
defilement and child-related offences were more prevalent.
She says that community members who have
volunteered to champion the monitoring and reporting GVB cases have received training,
200 bicycles and toll-free lines. URN has established that 48 percent of the
193 defilement cases reported at Mukono Police Division did not reach court.
Namubiru
says that most of the survivors handle these cases alone and usually lack
knowledge of where to turn for help, adding that some police officers need
monitoring to execute their mandate.
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out: …investigations well,”//.
LASPNET
has engaged various organizations to provide free legal aid services to the
survivors including Uganda Christian Lawyer’s Fraternity at Kayunga, Justice
Centers Uganda in Mukono and Uganda Network on Law Ethics and HIV/AIDS-UGANET,
Action against Violence and Islamic Women’s Initiative for Justice, Law and
Peace and Action Against Violence in Buikwe district.
Henry Wajego, a Village Health Worker-VHT in
Wakisi Division Njeru Municipality, says that their area has been receiving
several GBV cases but survivors have been missing justice after losing interest
at police where they are asked to fund investigations.
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out: … banyigirizibwa nyo.”//
Harriet Ssanyu, the Kkoome Sub County Islands
Community Development Officer reveals that GBV cases in islands and landing
sites rarely reach centers of justice.
She notes that survivors often lack means of transport to
access police, health facilities for examination and make follow ups in the
courts of laws.
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out: ...kyebetaaga,”//
English Byte.
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in: “Children and women...
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out: ...medical wing,”//
Kayunga District Chief Administrative
Officer-CAO, Roselin Adongo Ruhoni has applauded LASPNET for lobbying such a
project, she says will greatly help reduce GBV cases in the area. She notes
that GBV cases are still common because of limited awareness, ability to deal
with the justice system, limited resources and skills by both formal and
informal justice actors to effectively respond to the cases.
