The Deputy Country Representative for UN Women in Uganda, Adekemi Ndieli, has stressed the urgent need for increased investment in data collection to effectively address gender-based violence.
Ndieli made these remarks during a visit by delegations from Lesotho and Somalia, who were hosted by UN Women Uganda and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS).
The visit was part of the Women Count Programme, which aims to strengthen administrative data collection and management systems for Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) to inform the development of Crime Statistics Systems in their respective countries.
Ndieli highlighted the critical role of accurate and comprehensive data in tackling this pervasive human rights violation, noting that current statistical systems fail to capture the full scope of gender-based violence.
She called for the development of an integrated system that incorporates gender violence data into national statistics.
"The evidence shows that violence overwhelmingly affects women and girls. Yet, our current data systems do not adequately reflect this reality, which hampers our ability to effectively address and combat the issue,” she stated.
Her comments come amid growing concerns about the limitations of existing data on violence against women. While acknowledging that violence against men does occur, Ndieli emphasized that the scale and impact on women and girls are significantly higher. She also underscored the importance of addressing root causes, such as toxic masculinity and patriarchal structures, in designing effective programs to combat gender-based violence.
Ali Qadar, Deputy Ambassador of the Somali Embassy in Uganda, praised Uganda for its openness and generosity in sharing vital information. Qadar highlighted the importance of extending knowledge to the public and commended Uganda for its transparency.
"While knowledge should be disseminated, it is crucial to ensure that information reaches the people," Qadar stated. He noted that information sharing can be challenging in some countries and expressed appreciation for Uganda's willingness to share data.
Qadar also committed to maintaining close communication with Uganda, emphasizing the value of continued collaboration between the two nations.
Dr. Chris Mukiza, Executive Director of UBOS, underscored the necessity of advancing data integration and coordination frameworks in Uganda.
Mukiza pointed out that Uganda has outgrown its reliance on purely administrative data and must now focus on creating systems that can better integrate and analyze information.
Mukiza highlighted the importance of developing robust local solutions tailored to Africa’s unique challenges. While acknowledging significant strides in the forensic department, he stressed that substantial investment is still required to fully realize its potential.
"We need to ensure that our data systems are integrable and that we strengthen our coordination frameworks. This is crucial for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of our data management processes," he said.
Additionally, Mukiza emphasized the need for improved cooperation among countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to bolster regional data systems. He believes that fostering such collaboration will be key to developing comprehensive and locally relevant solutions for the continent’s data challenges.