Manual on fighting gender based violence launched

The Judicial Training Institute together with Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP) has launched a manual aimed at training judicial officers on gender based violence as a way of fighting the increasing cases of gender based violence in the country.

The purpose of the manual is to support and facilitate the much needed knowledge and skills for judicial officers to protect victims, survivors, those at risk and to accelerate other efforts aimed at ending the vice.

The gender based violence training manual is a major step towards solving many of the gender based violence concerns in the country as it promotes a more comprehensive and coordinated action in the fight against gender based violence.

While launching this manual, Justice Mike Chibita, the chairperson governing council of Judicial Training Institute said gender based violence is predominant in Uganda and is perpetuated with impunity.

"The Judiciary is more focused than ever in its commitment in ending gender based violence in all its forms. It is in recognition of this that efforts targeted towards combating gender based violence have become so specialised and require adequate preparation, specific technical skills and significant substantive knowledge and resources in order to effectively adjudicate these cases in the courts of law,” said Chibita.

He stated that if it is not immediately addressed, the cumulative consequences can negate the judicial goals of delivery of justice.

"The manual we are launching today I was informed that it is a collaborative process that started in 2018 and 2022. It should be a timely resource that should equip judicial officers with necessary information in imparting the much need knowledge and skills to protect survivors, victims and those at risks and accelerate other efforts aimed at ending gender based violence," he said

Justice Damalie Lwanga, the executive director Judicial Training Institute said Uganda has good laws that would be expected to deal with the vice but they must be enforced with the interests of concerns of the victims of the office in mind.

Adekemi Ndieli, the UN Women Deputy Country Representative, said violence against women and girls is highly prevalent and normalised in Uganda and it severely impedes the empowerment of women and girls.

Adekemi said the prevalence of physical violence experienced by women in Uganda stands at 51%,far above the African average of 37.7%,therefore UN women in Uganda is committed to ending all forms of violence against women and girls by ensuring women and girls access to justice.