Reducing gender-based violence in Uganda
Case Study
10 December 2018
SDG 5: Gender Equality
Reducing gender-based violence in Uganda
Ireland is working towards the elimination of all forms of gender-based violence around the world. This is one of the key targets of Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals, Gender Equality. In Uganda, one of our key partner countries, we are supporting a number of initiatives aimed at reducing gender-based violence. One of these is a joint programme between Irish Aid and the Government of Uganda targeting Busoga region.
Since 2010, the programme has been implemented by a number of partners there, including the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, eight district local governments and a number of Civil Society Organisations, including the Centre for Domestic Violence and Prevention (CEDOVIP), Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET), the Inter Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU) and Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC). The programme began by training duty bearers, such as police, local government and judicial officials and provides legal and counselling services to victims of gender-based violence. This has contributed to a significant reduction in gender-based violence in the region.
A 2016 survey showed that there has been significant progress in reducing violence against women and girls in Busoga. Between 2006 and 2016, domestic violence decreased by 20%, while violence against women who are pregnant declined from 16% to 7%. Experience of sexual violence among women also declined from 53% to 26% over this decade.
Ireland also supports the Ugandan-based non-profit Raising Voices, an organisation that works toward the prevention of violence against women and children. Raising Voices has developed a community based violence prevention methodology SASA!, which means ‘now’ in Kiswahili.
There has been a 52% reduction of intimate partner violence against women in SASA! communities and the methodology has been further adapted and scaled up, by over 60 organisations across 25 countries.
Irish Aid has supported the implementation of SASA! in a number of Sub-Saharan African countries and by a variety of organisations such as the Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP), Kivulini, and Trócaire.
