General
Uganda and Tanzania trail behind the rest of the East African countries on the score card sheet when it comes to the implementation of gender policies and law, a new study reveals. The report titled: "The EAC Pilot Gender Barometer and Challenges in Information Gap" score card is largely based on how citizens perceive governments in terms of existence of laws and policies and their effective implementation.
The report launched on May 5, in Kampala during the East Africa Community (EAC) multi-stakeholder dialogue on gender equality, reveals that Rwanda scored highest in terms of commitments to gender equality laws and implementation with an average score of 76 per cent, Burundi at 53 per cent, Tanzania at 52 per cent, Kenya at 48 per cent and Uganda in the fourth position at 47 per cent.
The report indicates that although the EAC states put inclusion of women and girls at the centre of development programmes with partner states, ensuring affirmative action, constitutional and legal reforms, development of national gender policies, institutional mechanisms for implementation and accountability, economic empowerment measures, implementation has been poor.
While presenting the findings of the study carried out from June 2016, the Dean School of Women and Gender Studies at Makerere University, Prof Josephine Ahikire, said gender-based violence, harmful practices and discriminatory laws and structures continue to keep many women and girls from enjoying their human rights as governments watch.
The study was done by East African Sub-region Support Initiative for Advancement of Women using quantitative data, desk research and community focus group discussions.