Human rights advocates have said problems like widespread corruption, violence against women, teenage pregnancies, terrorism, and barbaric cultural practices are some of the barriers to development in Africa.
The advocates said human rights are at the center of various security crises, climate crises, or political crises, adding that defenders of these rights need to get the key leadership in each sphere of the political economy to take into context the human rights of the people.
The remarks were made during the 5th edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference (KGC) that is taking place at the Makerere University auditorium under the theme: “Bringing International Debates to Africa.”
The conference is organised by Makerere University in partnership with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), UN Women, and the Embassy of France. It is focusing on the current geopolitical questions and trends.
Anthony Masake, a human rights advocate said most of the time, the laws put in place in most African countries are meant to curtail the freedoms and rights of the citizens.
He believes Uganda is at crossroads as far as human rights are concerned.
"The politics of the day always dominate the landscape across the world affecting human rights. More often than not, we see over-regulation around the civic space in most African nations, “said Masake.
Robert Ssempala, the executive director for Human Rights Network for Journalists in Uganda, said civic rights have been compromised in Uganda in the name of national interest, which he said is a very amorphous concept.
"In my country, when you push the cause of amplifying the voice of those whose rights have been affected you are not received with open arms. It is safer for one to pursue a peaceful cause that doesn't lead to pointing of fingers," he said.
In the political spectrum, Ssempala said there have been increasing cases where journalists are being targeted in the fight against human rights since they are the champions of transparency.
Safina Virani, another human rights advocate, said: "We need to address the people who are the beneficiaries of human rights. With the education system we have today, many Ugandans are not aware of their rights, we need to create awareness of basic human rights."
Statistically, Virani said, more women reported burnout from the Covid-19 pandemic as opposed to men.