The Institute for Social Transformation, Kampala Capital City Authority and UN Women is empowering women market vendors in effort to address gender based violence in urban areas.
Through dialogue, the initiative aims to single out the challenges market women vendors face and propose solutions.
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In an interface with the authority on Monday, women listed a number of challenges they face while working in the markets.
Some of the challenges women vendors face include sharing toilets with men, untimely collection of garbage, lack of children facilities among others.
The vendors urged KCCA to build special toilets for women in all the markets.
They also asked KCCA to provide a special place where breast feeding mothers can use to keep their children and pick them later in the evening.
Women also noted that one of the challenges they face is that market owners do not allow them to come with children at work which is a little bit challenging.
KCCA has the jurisdiction of over 84 markets in Kampala.
KCCA deputy director for production and market Dr. Esau Galukande assured the women that the authority is in the process of handling their challenges as soon as possible.
"Many people come to the markets looking for work places but markets cannot provide them will all the services they need. It is hard to provide some services for examples toilets to put them in the required standard,"he said.
He noted that KCCA is on the move to set up facilities for children in the new KCCA markets and also have plans to do the same in the old markets.
"When ordnance is passed, private markets will also be required these facilities and will work with the owners of those markets,"he said.
The deputy executive director UN women Anita Bhatia noted that women have taken number of strides forward and the initiative will be a step in the right direction.
“We have come this far with support from Kampala Capital City Authority and UN women, I am sure you can move much far,” she said.
