Source: All Africa
People in northern Uganda have misinterpreted culture and traditional values, which has led to a high incidence of gender-based violence, especially against women.

Speaking at the media training workshop on gender-based violence (GBV), organized by the ARC at the Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC) in Gulu recently, Santo Okema, programme coordinator of Ker Kwaro Acholi, a cultural institution in the region, said many men violate the rights of women, claiming it is their right as husbands to do so, yet the Acoli culture does not embrace violence.

"Some say they beat their women to discipline them, yet most are really torturing the women. They also still think that because they married the lady, they should now treat her as their property," Okema said.

The state of GBV in northern Uganda is very alarming. The ministry of Health and the World Health Organization identify the main forms of GBV in the region as wife battering (30%), marital rape (12%), defilement (25%), rape (20%), and sexual exploitation (13%).

"Women in northern Uganda faced doubled tragedy as they were the biggest victims of war, but their rights were also violated by their husbands and the other people during this long period of war," Okema said.

Rocky Oyoo, GBV coordinator with the American Refugee Council, said some men in northern Uganda also suffer violence, but fear to report the cases and suffer in silence.

"Men equally suffer gender-based violence, but because of society's perception on men, they do fear reporting because they think they will be laughed at," Oyoo said at the workshop.

He added that there is need to improve on funding for GBV programmes in the region. "Districts only get Shs 2m for the gender office for a year, and that is only on Women's Day. So, if the central government or local government can improve on funding, it would help fight gender stereotyping and discrimination."

 

• Uganda