Domestic violence cases increased slightly in 2022 — report

POLICE | DOMESTIC | VIOLENCE

KAMPALA - There was a slight increase in the cases of domestic violence registered in 2022 in Uganda, according to the 2022 Annual Crimes Report.

There were 17,698 reported cases last year compared to 17,533 in 2021, according to the report released by Police mid-this week.

On the other hand, sex-related offences declined by 10% in the same period, said Maj. Tom Magambo, the director of the Crimes Investigation Department.

In total, there were 14,693 sex-related cases registered in 2022 compared to 16,373 the previous year.

Domestic violence is the most common type of gender-based violence in Uganda and takes many forms, including femicide or killing of a woman because of her gender.

According to statistics from the gender ministry, the Government is losing a total of sh18.3b in healthcare costs to deal with domestic violence and its effects.

Relatedly, Uganda Police is spending sh19.5b while local councils are spending sh12.7b on curbing the problem.

The total revenue lost by Uganda due to sexual and gender-based violence incidents between 2012 and 2017 alone translated to 0.25% of the national budget or $20.77b (about sh74.7 trillion), according to the ministry.

In a bid to bring down the cases, Samali Wakooli, the head of the gender department at the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions, says they are pushing for the speedy processing of the Witness Protection Bill, 2015 into law.

The legislation, which is still in draft form, seeks to provide a holistic protection of crucial case witnesses who face a threat or risk.

The law will also give birth to the Witness Protection Agency to provide the framework and procedures for giving special protection on behalf of the state to persons in possession of important information and who are facing potential risk or intimidation due to their co-operation with prosecution and other enforcement agencies.