Gender-Based Violence remains a significant barrier to the national development, social cohesion, and economic prosperity in Uganda, gender labour and social development minister Betty Amongi has revealed.
“It disproportionately affects women and girls, though men and boys are not exempt. GBV is a violation of human rights, a public health crisis, and a serious impediment to achieving gender equality and inclusive development, she noted.
The minister was at the Breakfast high-level policy dialogue on financing gender based violence in ministries and local government plans and budgets. It was held at Golden Tulip Hotel in Kampala.
She said statistics for GBV in Uganda are alarming as evidenced by the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey Report, 2022 which shows that more than 56% of ever-married women have experienced spousal violence, and 22% have suffered sexual violence.
She added that it should be noted that only a fraction of GBV survivors receive the necessary support, be it medical, legal, or psychosocial services and the economic cost of GBV is estimated to be in the billions of shillings, considering the loss in productivity, medical expenses, and legal costs.
However, Amongi said, despite various Policy commitments made by the Government of Uganda including the 2016 National Policy on the Elimination of GBV, the National Development Plan (NDP III), and Vision 2040, the financing gap remains a major bottleneck in addressing GBV effectively in the country.
She added that without adequate financial resources, our Policies and Strategies will remain words on paper, failing to bring tangible change in the communities and the country at large.
“It is therefore imperative that GBV response and prevention interventions are mainstreamed into the national and local government budgets,” she said.
She called upon ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to allocate funds specifically for GBV programming within the limited resources allocated to them.
Secondly, she said, we need to continuously strengthen coordination across all sectors from health and education to justice and social protection so that survivors of GBV are able to receive comprehensive support.
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