Uganda’s Judiciary is reviewing rulings made by several officers on Sexual Gender Based Violence against women as a way of enforcing stringent measures to help deter the vice in the country.
According to David Kabona Batema, a high court judge in charge of Soroti and Karamoja region, judicial officers have pitched camp at Botanical Gardens in Entebbe to review rulings on sexual violence against women and children so as to evaluate whether the punishments given to offenders deter communities from committing similar offences.
James Foster a US Judge, who is also attending the retreat, said women in countries with conflicts often fall victims of sexual gender, based violence.
“According to the very recent ministry of gender study that was done that’s physical, sexual and emotional violence, I think countries that are currently in conflict create unique challenges related to SGBV.
When you have conflict, you tend to have a breakdown of the justice, law and order sector. I think that together we need to continue working towards strengthening those” he said.
In a 2017 report by the United Nations on different forms of violence against women, over a 12 month period indicated that lifetime physical and sexual intimate Partner Violence stands at 30% while child marriages stood at 40%.
Cases of Sexual Gender based violence have been increasing since 2010 and according to a 2016 Uganda Demographic and health Survey, up to 22% of women between the ages of 15 to 49 had experienced sexual violence.
This translates to close to a million women being sexually violated Uganda Police Force registered 16,862 sex related cases in 2017 while 1,335 rape cases were recorded. 14,985 cases of defilement were also registered.
