A webinar presents the best practices of faith groups working together to end gender-based violence in Uganda
To prevent violence against women and girls, it is necessary “to confront deeply rooted cultural and religious beliefs” at the community level, while at the same time strengthening legislation and support for survivors at the national level.
Paul Orikushaba is head of programmes for the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Uganda, which works with both refugees and local communities on the northern and western border with South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He spoke about the effectiveness of this multi-pronged approach in addressing sexual and gender-based violence at the “Shadow Pandemic” webinar on 25 November.
The webinar took place to mark the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the start of the 16 Days of Activism to end gender-based violence. It was jointly organised by the LWF together with the Side by Side faith movement for gender justice, ACT Alliance, Mothers’ Union in Uganda and the Rural Action Community Based Organization (RACOBAO).
The essential role of religious leaders
Orikushaba stressed that gender-based violence is a “global scourge” that feeds on powerlessness and a lack of education, denying people with limited opportunities the ability to defend their rights and dignity. He said that religious leaders have an essential role to play in providing people with information from the pulpit and in challenging cultural practices that normalise violence against women.
The LWF has been working in Uganda since 1979, supporting agricultural production and other income-generating activities, as well as providing emergency relief and long-term protection to refugees and internally displaced persons fleeing conflict or natural disasters. Although the country has experienced significant economic growth over the past ten years, around a quarter of its population is still on the edge of poverty.
Other speakers at the webinar emphasised the great importance of economic opportunities, since poverty and food insecurity are two of the main sources of gender-based violence. Irene Anena, a representative of Side by Side who coordinates the Church of Uganda’s work on gender issues, highlighted the growing problems of climate change, which have an enormous impact on women, since they make up more than 80% of those working in the country’s agricultural sector.
Positive models of masculinity
Anena also pointed to the importance of cooperation between religious groups in creating radio and television programmes that clearly express zero tolerance for sexual violence and encourage survivors to report incidents of violence. She noted that fostering dialogue in communities is another important way to engage women and men, including faith leaders, in discussions of issues that were previously taboo, such as menstrual hygiene or sexual and reproductive health.
How we educate and raise children at home and at school will determine how they behave as adults. Paul Orikushaba, head of programs for LWF in Uganda
Participants emphasised the impact of cooperation with Christian and Muslim leaders in Uganda, so that there is no misunderstanding about the responsibility to end gender-based violence and to promote positive models of masculinity at all levels of society. “How we educate and raise children at home and at school will determine how they behave as adults,” said Orikushaba.
At the national level, he said, greater funding is needed to support the work of organisations that push for perpetrators to be held accountable and for the legal protection of survivors. In 2019, religious groups were able to influence a bill on sexual violence, which should be passed into law in December, calling for severe penalties for abusers. Yet sexual violence is still under-reported, and there is an urgent need for cooperation between the police, the judiciary, the health authorities and community leaders to strengthen the support available to survivors.
An essential part of the LWF’s work in this area is the promotion of legal aid clinics and mobile courts to ensure survivors’ access to counselling services and to the state justice system. “Laws may be in force,” says Orikushaba, “but their implementation is complicated.” Participants concluded that significant progress has been made in combating gender-based violence in Uganda, but the Covid-19 pandemic has created serious complications and reversed many of the gains achieved.
KAMPALA, Uganda
26.11.2020.Source: Lutheran World Federation news
Photo: LWF/P. Hitchen