Austrian government commits sh7b to fight against gender-based violence

 

 

On December 13, 2019, ADA and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) country representatives in Uganda signed a partnership agreement for a two-year programme to ensure the transformation of harmful social norms.

 

The intervention, which will run from December 2019 - November 2021, will contribute to the prevention of GBV and harmful practices that hinder access to sexual reproductive health in Karamoja and northern Uganda.

 

"Northern Uganda for Austria is a priority zone in all our initiatives in the country, but Karamoja was also included because it was identified as in need of such support," Roswitha Kremser, the ADA representative to Uganda said.

 

The 2016 Uganda Demographic Health Survey indicated that 13% of women in Karamoja experienced physical and sexual violence from age 15.

 

One of the factors behind these high prevalence rates is the widespread cultural acceptance of such violence. Wife battering is widely accepted, with 49% of women and 43% of men in Karamoja believing that it is justified for a man to beat his wife, according to the UNFPA population matters publication.

 

In Acholi region (northern Uganda), where Awach and Lalogi sub-counties are situated, the lifetime prevalence for intimate partner violence was at 59.9%, according to the 2016 Uganda Demographic Health Survey.

 

Kremser said nothing can be done without the involvement of leaders, including, among others, those in the districts, the cultural and religious leaders, to transform such bad social norms.

 

"We need leaders working with us to change some norms that are harmful to the health of girls and women," she emphasised.

 

Interventions include support to the judiciary to implement mobile court sessions for GBV survivors, as well as the engagement of communities, religious, cultural and political leaders using multi-sectoral channels.

 

This is in addition to strengthening the capacity of these entities to provide services. 

"It will increase coverage and access to sexual and reproductive health services," said Alain Sibenaler, the UNFPA representative in Uganda.

 

They will enforce UNFPA guiding principles on the issues of GBV, maternal health and sizeable families. 

 

"We will have to implement these principles in, among others, places of worship and day-to-day relations," Sibenaler revealed.

 

Kremser said the target is to reach 17,000 GBV survivors, 443,000 young people aged 10-24, as well as 546,000 women over 50 and 282,000 men and boys in Karamoja and northern Uganda.

 

"We need to do more in a population of 42 million, although not all are victims of GBV. If we can reach 70,000 victims in northern Uganda and Karamoja, we will have done a lot," she said.

 

According to Sibenaler, this support deals with two pillars - books before babies and let girls be girls. Let girls be girls speaks to preserving the dignity of girls and adolescent women. 

 

The sh7b support from the Austrian government will fight GBV and improve reproductive health services in Karamoja and Northern Uganda as part of the Live Your Dream Campaign.

 

The selected regions show a sustained high fertility rate, with low contraceptive use and high rates of teenage pregnancies.

 

Currently, women in Uganda have an average of 5.4 children, according to the 2016 Uganda Demographic Health survey.

 

In Acholi region, the total fertility rate (TFR) is 5.5, with women of reproductive age giving birth to an average of six children, while in Lango, the total fertility rate is  5.1, which means women of reproductive age give birth to an average of five children.

 

Karamoja region has the highest total fertility rate (TFR) at 7.9, with women of reproductive age (15-49 years) giving birth to an average of eight children, higher than Uganda's of five, and three times above the average of three children per woman in Kampala.

 

However, teenage pregnancies of girls aged 15-19 years are a contributing factor to maternal mortality, which stands at 29.7% in Karamoja region in comparison to the national average that is still high at 25%.

 

In the Karamoja region, the maternal mortality rate ratio stands at 700 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to the national average of 336 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to the 2016 Uganda Demographic Health Survey.

 

The UNFPA response programme to the reproductive and GBV challenge will target hard-to-reach districts in Karamoja region, including Napak, Moroto, Kaabong, Nakapiripirit, Amudat and Abim and northern Uganda districts, including Kitgum, Omoro and Otuke.

 

"We chose these two geographical areas because we have a good presence there. There is a good longstanding recognition of our leadership in the area on sexual and reproductive health response by the authorities in all the districts we are working in,"  Sibenaler said.

 

The Funds from the Austrian government will also be committed to strengthening existing responses to GBV in Karamoja.