A coalition of domestic violence activists under the Women Movement of Uganda on Monday implored the government to recommit to ensuring the protection of women and girls at all levels of society.
This comes at a time of increasing cases of domestic violence not only in Uganda but also across other East African Countries including Kenya with the latest incident of the Uganda Athlete Rebecca Cheptegei, who was deliberately doused in petro and later set ablaze by the alleged boyfriend.
According to a 2023 survey by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 1 out of 3 women in Kenya has experienced gender-based violence with over 40% of women likely to face a lifetime of physical and sexual abuse from their partner.
Additionally, in Uganda, the 2023 Uganda Police Annual Crime Report indicated that 15,184 people were survivors of domestic violence, 10,792 of whom were female.
Elizabeth Kemigisha, the Advocacy Communications Manager at FIDA-Uganda, Suzan Achen, the Uganda Women’s Network coordinator for Women’s Rights and Access to Justice and Ann Nassamula, the Program Officer at Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention among others addressed media at the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (Fida) Offices in Ntinda over the matter.
“Rebecca’s death tragically illustrates the extreme vulnerabilities women continue to face even as they break barriers and bring pride to their communities and countries at large. It is also an indication of the low regard with which society perceives women’s rights and protection issues,” Kemigisha told KFM.
