Strategic objective: To strengthen individual and collective actions to prevent and respond to GBV, HIV/AIDs and discrimination against women and girls in the household and communities of Karamoja
Gender Based Violence (GBV) is wide spread in Uganda and it affects all people irrespective of their social economic and political status. Its occurs in families , communities , workplace and institutions for example the Uganda demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2011 indicates that 56% of women aged between 15-49 years in Uganda have experienced physical violence at some point in life ,28% of women in the same age group have experienced sexual violence compared to 9% of men ,Uganda police force data indicated that in 2013 alone violence accounted for 360 deaths, 9598 defilement and 1,042 rape cases.
Actions taken to prevent GBV include the operationalization of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda provisions. In this regard specific laws have been enacted :The Domestic Violence Act 2010 and its Regulations 2011, The prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation 2010 an d Its regulations 2013, The Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2009 , The Penal code Act , Cap 120 , The Children Act Cap 59,The International Criminal Court Act 2010, and Other laws include the land Act, cap 227, the Employment(sexual Harassment regulations 2012 The Government has also developed policies and frameworks to prevent and respond to Gender Based Violence these include; The Uganda Gender Policy(2007) this are all geared to prevent and respond Gender Based violence in the Communities of Uganda.
Violence against women in Karamoja is physical, emotional, psychological, and economic. Physical violence which includes courtship rape, opportunistic rape, and domestic violence, Economic violence is perpetrated as women have unequal access to household resources because men maintain exclusive ownership over cattle, children, land, and any other property in the households.
The root cause of the violence against women and girls in Karamoja is the power imbalance between men and women, alcoholism, and bad cultural practices like widow inheritance, early marriage, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and that a girl who has gone to school never makes a good housewife or will never fetch good bride price; and may become a prostitute, and these has predisposed them to STIs/STDs/HIV/AIDs and/or Reproductive Health complications, and extreme trauma and stigmatization from the community. Compounding to the fate of women in Karamoja, this Strategy therefore intends to prevent Gender Based Violence by dialoguing with Elders, youth, and women to come up with actions which will be implemented.