Background
GBV remains a main concern due to the high prevalence both at National and at regional levels. UDHS surveys for both 2006, 2011 and 2016 confirm this. The Government of Uganda has endeavored to establish a supportive GBV legal framework for instance the Domestic Violence Act, and the National Policy and the National Plan for the Elimination of GBV in Uganda. However, GBV continues to be a problem in the communities. We are working to enhance the quality of alternative dispute resolution services provided by faith leaders in target communities with a focus on safety for women and processes that are centred on the person who has experienced violence.
We are also lobbying, and supporting others to advocate, at national and local levels for appropriate resourcing and implementation of gender-based violence laws and systems, focusing on the Domestic Violence Act (2010) and the Gender Based Violence Policy and Action Plan (2016). The program commended in March and will run up to 2022 with Financing from Trocaire/Irish Aid.
Objectives
1.This project works to advocate for implementation of the GBV policy to promote communities where women a free from violence. One of the key aspects of women empowerment is promoting participation of women.
- Support female religious leaders to be at the fore front of advocating for issues that concern them. This will be by bringing them into the team of the champion religious leaders and the GBV reference group. The members of the women of faith network will also be given space in different forums to advocate on issues affecting women.
- Advocating for effective implementation of the GBV laws and policies for the elimination of Violence Against Women in Uganda through senior religious leaders. Violence against women is a violation of human rights thus using the right based approach, IRCU will lobby government as key duty bearers to addressing the vice.
Activities and Outcomes
To attain intermediate outcome 1, the immediate outcomes will be; 1) Female and Male religious leaders have knowledge on GBV prevention and associated HIV risks. This will be achieved through national level orientation meetings and annual conferences for senior religious leaders. The orientation meetings and conferences meetings will lay a foundation for the increased GBV knowledge among the religious leaders and enable them to change attitude and practices towards GBV and to prioritise it as a major concern in their faith institutions.
The immediate outcomes under intermediate outcome 2 included; 1) religious leaders in target communities have information on GBV policies to lobby and advocate for improved service provision. 2) Religious leaders have a strategy to guide them while engaging on advocacy for GBV policies and laws and 3) Religious leaders have knowledge and skills to engage in policy formulation and implementation for GBV. In order to achieve immediate outcome 1, activities included; Printing and Dissemination of the DV Act, the National Policy and the National Plan for the Elimination of GBV in Uganda to Senior Religious Leaders for GBV at national and regional levels. Further still, senior religious leaders will receive and discuss information on GBV on the latest assessments and analyses so as to develop recommendations for advocacy actions.
Activities:
- Orienting of religious leaders on GBV laws and policies
- Conduct a survey on religious leaders’ attitudes on the GBV Act
- Conduct a safeguarding plan for staff and develop an act
- To disseminate the research findings of the baseline survey of religious leader’s Gender Based Violence Knowledge, attitudes and practices in Acholi, Teso and Kampala to senior religious leaders at the national level.
- To disseminate the research findings of partners of Trocaire on the violence of women/girls and HIV/AIDS in Gulu and Soroti districts.
- To have an interface with the partners in Justice, Law and Order sector by sharing their experiences in preventing and mitigating GBV/SGBV in Uganda.
- To strategize and develop an advocacy agenda for policy engagement on the salient issues affecting women/Girls and HIV/AIDS.
- Interfaith intercession prayers during the National Women’s week.
- Leadership conference for women of faith to envision their effective participation in the decision making processes within the church and mosque structures.
- GBV Camp on prevention and mitigation during the 16 days of activism.
- Follow up meetings after the women’s conference to consolidate strategies with the women structures of Islamic women, catholic women and Born again faith.