Police ask battered men to report their wives

By Violet Nabatanzi

The Police has appealed to men who have been battered by their wives to report to the Police.

The deputy commissioner Child and Family Protection department, Maureen Atuhaire, said a majority of men suffer silently because they fear to report that they have been beaten by their wives.

Speaking during a two-day workshop on gender based violence  (GBV) organised by Makerere University School of Women and Gender studies together with school of public health she said: “It is rare for men to report to the Police that their spouses have beaten them.

“But through community policing, we have been able to get a few men reporting their wives who have violated their rights and we have helped them by taking the perpetuator to courts of law."

Atuhaire said: “It is usually believed that when a woman goes to report a case to the Police, she is the one who is telling the truth, but this is wrong, men should report and we shall help them”.

She noted that cases of men being battered by their wives are on the increase although majority of them do not report.

According to the Police 72 people were killed as a result of domestic violence between January and April 2013.

Statistics also showed that there were 2,461 victims and 1,339 cases of domestic violence reported by April, while in 2012 there were 9,278 victims and 2,793 cases of domestic violence.

Prof. Grace Bantebya from Makerere University School of Women and Gender Studies there is a need to collect more information on gender based violence and present it correctly in order to solve the problem.

She stressed that there are very few cases that have been prosecuted especially for sexual offences.

Meanwhile human rights activists and consultants in gender studies blamed the Police for unprofessionalism when it comes to handling gender based cases.

Bantebya recommended strict confidentiality of victims, arguing many shy away for fear of their privacy being exposed.