During a joint briefing led by CEDOVIP advocacy officer Ann Nassamula alongside other women’s rights leaders, the Domestic Violence Act Coalition (DVAC) warned that Uganda is sliding deeper into a Gender-Based Violence emergency, driven by soaring cases, rising technology-facilitated abuse, and chronic underfunding of response systems.
Nassamula said the 16 Days of Activism requires courageous action, transformative change, and bold political will to dismantle the patriarchal structures that fuel violence in homes, communities, and digital spaces.
FIDA Uganda communication officer Omega Aloyo, speaking on behalf of the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers, noted that Uganda continues to record alarming levels of violence against women and girls.
She highlighted that 45% of women have experienced physical violence, 36% have suffered sexual violence, and 54% have endured intimate partner abuse. Despite this, only 4.8% of reported cases result in convictions—an impunity gap that DVAC says emboldens perpetrators and weakens public trust in justice institutions. Aloyo further explained that GBV costs Uganda an estimated UGX 73 billion annually through healthcare, legal processes, lost productivity, and the long-term effects of trauma.
She criticized the minimal 3% national budget allocation to the Ministry of Gender, which has forced shelters to close and weakened essential survivor support services nationwide.
The coalition also raised concern over the sharp rise in technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including cyberstalking, deepfake manipulation, online sexual exploitation, and digital extortion. DVAC called for the creation of a National Strategy on Technology-Facilitated GBV, the establishment of digital safety hotlines, and the strengthening of online reporting mechanisms to protect victims in an increasingly digital society.
They urged the government to enforce existing laws, fast-track key bills, increase funding for the GBV response and ratify pending African Union frameworks to end violence against women and girls. They also emphasized the need to fully implement the Domestic Violence Act (2010), the Children Act, the FGM Act, the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, and related laws in order to strengthen protection for women and children.
DVAC appealed for closer collaboration between justice institutions and called for police officers, health workers, and judicial officers to receive specialized, survivor-centered training. Improved coordination between institutions, they said, is essential to ensure timely investigations, better case management, and successful prosecution of GBV cases.
The coalition further urged the government to adopt pending legislation—including the Sexual Offences Bill, the National Legal Aid Bill, and the Witness Protection Bill—arguing that these laws would close major gaps that continue to fail survivors during the justice process.
According to the 2024 Uganda Police Annual Crime Report, Uganda registered 12,424 Gender-Based Violence cases, including 1,607 cases of rape and 12,317 cases of defilement, reflecting a continued rise in violence against women and girls across the country. DVAC said these figures reaffirm the urgency of stronger laws, more coordinated responses, and greater investment in prevention programs.
This year’s global theme—“Unite! Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls: End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls”—was echoed throughout the briefing as speakers emphasized the need for sustained commitment and long-term investment to eliminate all forms of violence.
