Poverty escalates domestic violence- minister

By Brenda Asiimwe and Brenda Mpora

Poverty, unemployment and ignorance are the main cause of gender-based violence, according to the state minister for elderly and disability affairs, Sulaiman Madada.

Madada argued this while officiating over launch of the Refugee Law Project (RLP) annual sexual and gender-based violence awareness week at the National theatre.

 The theme of the one-week drive is centered on helping fight sexual slavery and exploitation for refugees in their host communities.

"Refugees don't have any source of income or protection and this makes them most vulnerable to people who are ready to exploit them," said Madada.

Uganda currently hosts more than 150,000 refugees and asylum-seekers from Burundi, the DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan.

Of these, some 40,000 are urban refugees living mostly in Kampala.

The majority of refugees, however, are spread across eight settlements in the north and south-west of the country.

"In a place where there is absolute poverty coupled with unemployment, sexual exploitation is common," Madada added. He said more awareness needs to be done to let people know their rights and demand them.

He explained thus: "Government has put in place policies to cater for the vulnerable groups such as the disabled, refugees and the elderly but the implementation is poor. Government cannot be a monopoly in addressing issues of sexual gender based violence."

The minister called upon all Ugandans, civil society organizations and NGOs to join hands with the government in raising awareness to fight sexual-based violence.

Madada commended the Refugee Law Project (RLP) for the awareness being done and also committed the government's support towards the cause since it is affecting most Ugandans.

Chris Dolan, the director of RLP said that the SGBV awareness week is aimed at raising issues of the victims and finding long lasting solutions to them.

Our offices have in the last 12 months had many cases of sex trafficking, slavery from our clients, he said.

"The victims or survivors who are women, men and young children are often lured by promises of lucrative employment within Uganda and across the borders to neighboring countries," Dolan revealed.