CSOs call for more funding to curb gender based violence

Kampala, Uganda | Julius Businge | Sophie Nampewo, a budget policy specialist at Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group is urging government to invest more resources in interventions geared towards curbing Gender Based Violence.

Nampewo was speaking at a strategic meeting with policy makers to influence GBV financing in FY2021/22 budget in Kampala on Apr.28.

GBV being a violation of human rights means, there is need for government intervention besides other bodies like human rights defenders, she said.

“GBV cases are still quite alarming and hence still require government intervention in terms of availing adequate financing for different intervention to deal with the vice across the country,” CSBAG says in one of the concept notes on this topic.

The group says, with the ongoing COVID – 19 pandemic, GBV cases have reported to be on the rise in Uganda at both the local and national level from 40,913 in 2019 to 44,652 in 2020, with some leading to death.

However, despite the rise in GBV cases, financing to GBV interventions is still low especially at the Local Government level where institutions like the Uganda Police Force and Community Development Offices lack facilitation (fuel, stationery and airtime) to follow up on some of these cases.

A financing assessment by CSBAG recently found out that government Ministries, Departments and Agencies and Local Governments all allocated less than 1% of their budgets to GBV interventions.

This, according to CSBAG, is still too low given the impact of GBV on ordinary citizens.

The strategic meeting was attended by policy makers, government technocrats both national and local government as well as CSO representatives.

Nampewo said, there is need for other actors like religious institutions, Parliament, local council leaders/courts and former MPs to curb the GBV cases.

Etuka Isaac, the MP for Madi County, pledged to engage his fellow MPs to take part in activities geared towards curbing GBV cases.