Uganda Says NO to Violence against Women
Hon. Speaker Edward Ssekandi and women activists from the Uganda Women's Parliamentary Association, the Uganda Women's Network and CARE mark the 10th anniversary of the International Day to Eliminate Violence against Women. Women activists also called for the enforcement of a Marriage and Divorce Bill by Parliament. (photo: UWOPA)
2 December 2009
Kampala - Uganda: In a public expression of political will the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, Hon. Edward Ssekandi, today signed on to UNIFEM’s Say No – Unite to End Violence against Women initiative.
Members of parliament, the Vice President of the Pan African Parliament, as well as representatives of the East African Legislative Assembly and civil society organizations attended the ceremony, which was a collaborative effort by the Uganda Women's Parliamentary Association (UWOPA), Uganda's Women's Net Work (UWONET) and CARE. A delegation of 200 men and women from the Acholi region in northern Uganda traveled to Kampala especially for the occasion.
According to the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey, 60 percent of women and girls experience physical violence, 39 percent sexual violence in their lifetime.
“Women are an important pillar of our society and make an immense contribution to the social and economic development of our country”, stated the Speaker in his remarks. “This is a signal from the Parliament of Uganda to all stakeholders that we are taking this issue very seriously.” In a symbolic act to show the Ugandan support for the issue to the world, the speaker stood up after the signing and raised the Say NO document for all to see.
Continuing with his speech, Hon. Ssekandi committed to passing new legislation for the protection of women and girls: “We shall support other ongoing efforts geared to prevention and protection of people affected by this problem in the country and the sub region. The Parliament shall also strengthen its oversight role to ensure these laws are implemented and that there is accountability.”
Rita Ociro, the Coordinator of the Uganda Women's Network acknowledged the progress by Parliament and congratulated the Speaker on the overwhelmingly support for the enactment of the Domestic Violence Act, which passed unanimously in November this year. She however called for the passing of the Marriage and Divorce Bill as a means of strengthening the Domestic Violence Act.
CARE International expressed the urgency of addressing the post conflict needs of the Acholi community, including holistic services to address Gender Based Violence. A representative from the Acholi sub region acknowledged the practical support being provided by CARE that addressed income generation, access to justice and peace building.
Say NO – UNiTE is a global call for action on ending violence against women and girls. It advances the objectives of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women through social mobilization. It offers a platform for individuals, governments and civil society organisations to show the groundswell of activity that exists on the issue and raises awareness to end this global pandemic.
Read the full statement of the Speaker of Parliament as pdf here
Find out more about Say NO here
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