PETITION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

Imagine a Uganda where bruises and broken bones don’t keep mothers away from caring for their children
Imagine a Uganda where women walk the streets and paths at night without looking over their shoulders
Imagine a Uganda in which girls live a life free of violence from their teachers, relatives, strangers, etc.
Imagine a Uganda where perpetrators of violence against women and girls face the full rigour of the law
Imagine a Uganda Without Violence Against Women and Girls…

We, the undersigned organizations—

Recognizing that the bodies of our daughters, mothers, wives, sisters, aunts, nieces and grandmothers have increasingly become the targets of assault, rape, defilement and harassment;

Deeply concerned that the assault on women’s bodies continues through various forms of violence including, but not limited to: rape, marital rape, domestic violence, trafficking, harmful customary and traditional practices, violence and torture during conflict, forced marriages and early marriages. These forms of violence take place: within homes, at work, in schools, in clinics and hospitals, at police stations and many other places at an alarming rate;

Aware that violence against women and girls has far-reaching costs and dire consequences for national development and on strategies such as those on HIV/AIDS, agriculture, industrialization, and so forth;

Fully Cognizant of commitments that government has made through regional and international agreements on women’s human rights, in particular, the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) (1979); Vienna Declaration on Human Rights (1993); Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), All the African Regional Conferences on Women; The Millennium Declaration (2000); and The Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (2004) amongst others;

Regretting that despite all these undertakings and efforts by the women’s movement in Uganda to combat this heinous crime, impunity continues to reign with most crimes going unpunished amidst state inaction and inertia; and

Believing that the final achievement of democracy and development for our country hinges on the attainment of women’s full and equal rights.

Against this background, we demand the following: -

1. That government prioritizes the elimination of violence against women in our society and protects them from cruel and degrading treatment, preserving their health, dignity, self-worth and respect.

2. That government passes all pending bills that address violence against women and girls, including the bills on Domestic Violence, on Sexual Offences, on Trafficking of Women and on Domestic Relations.

3. That government immediately ratifies the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa.

4. That government funds programmes that prevent violence and respond to the various types of abuse (physical, sexual and emotional) of women and girls.

5. That government supports efforts to help survivors of violence recover their dignity, health, livelihood and families.

6. That the National AIDS Commission and other related organisations address gender-based violence in their HIV/AIDS programming, messages and service-delivery.

7. That the judiciary, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies intervene in cases of violence against women and girls with gender-sensitivity and awareness.

8. That the Media refrain from legitimating violence against women through sensentionalized reporting and the demeaning use of sexist stereotypes.

9. That violence against women and girls in Uganda be approached as a community issue, as an issue of public health and as a human rights crisis involving community members, health providers, law makers and implementers.

10. That an end be brought to impunity for violence against women and girls.

“SAY NO TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS!”

Signed by:
FIDA-UGANDA STRAIGHT TALK

WORLD VISION ACTION AID-UGANDA

ISIS-WICCE AKINA MAMA WA AFRIKA

RAISING VOICES ACTION FOR DEVELOPMENT

UGANDA WOMEN’S NETWORK INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS

FORUM FOR WOMEN IN DEMOCRACY HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE CENTRE

PLATFORM FOR LABOUR ACTION WOMEN OF UGANDA NETWORK

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY, FACULTY OF LAW

FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS INITIATIVE

CENTRE FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION

EAST AFRICA SUB-REGIONAL SUPPORT INITIATIVE

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN ORGANISATIONS IN UGANDA