Nebbi men want women to pay dowry

By Benedict Okethwengu 

Residents of Nebbi sub-county in Nebbi district have proposed that Parliament enacts laws that make women pay dowry to mitigate the increasing cases of violence against women.

Peter Owachgiu, a resident of Koch Central, said the practice of men paying bride price has rendered women vulnerable to being tortured. He said men base their actions on the practice that makes them think they bought their partners.

Owachgiu argued that if women are allowed to pay dowry, no man will dare harass his wife.

“If things do not change, women will continue being punching bags for men because after paying bride price, men assume absolute authority,” Owachgiu said.

He also lashed out at Parliament for not passing the Marriage and Divorce Bill, saying it has clauses that would mitigate gender-based violence.

Owachgiu was speaking during a community dialogue at Koch Primary School, in Nebbi sub-county on Friday. The dialogue was organised by Action Aid International, to help trace the cause and find solution to the rising cases of gender-based violence in the district.

Immaculate Awor, the project officer with Gender Based Violence Shelter, a coalition fighting violence against women and children in Nebbi and Zombo districts, said the violence can only end if men learnt to communicate effectively to their partners at a time of disagreement.

“For example, in India, women pay dowry for their husbands and yet they continue to be abused by men,” she said.

Baifa Wanican, the officer in charge of child and family protection at Nebbi Police Station, said they receive at least 20 cases of gender-based violence every week.

“This is a worrying figure and most of the cases arise from property wrangles and women claiming to have been abandoned by their husbands,” she said.