Prof Omaswa rejects establishment of special courts to handle gender-based violence

SUNDAY SSEBAGGALA

Prof Francis Omaswa, the executive director of African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST) has rejected the proposal by UN Women country representative, Dr. Anna Mutavatsi, to establish special courts to handle victims of Gender Based violence.

Prof. Francis Omaswa raised the objection during a third capacity building seminar for members of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from Five African countries who had convened in  Entebbe on Tuesday to discuss on how to address issues of maternal, child and adolescent health and reproductive health.

Omaswa said there is need to resort to cultural systems to resolve issues of gender based violence by engaging clan leaders through the participation of LC1 chairpersons, elders and parish chiefs other than courts of laws that have a tendency of adjourning cases.

Omaswa revealed that about 336 cases of maternal mortality rates are registered in Uganda annually and attributed this to weak community based Health systems that don’t reach out to women to sensitise them on the relevancy of maternal health.

Dr. Olive Sentumbwe Mugisa, the family and population advisor for World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concern on the number of adolescents getting into early marriages saying majority of them are being exposed to sexually transmitted Infections (STIs) like HIV/AIDS, and gonorrhoea among others.

Sentumbwe appealed to women and their husbands to prepare for birth early enough and to deliver under a skilled health worker in a health facility.

She also called upon traditional birth attendants to promote family planning, immunisation and health education.