The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Dorothy Chegem was a pupil at Acegeretolim Primary School, located in what is now Nabilatuk District when her grandfather and uncles arranged for her to marry a man old enough to be her father. At just 12 years old, Chegem narrowly escaped this fate thanks to her teacher, who intervened on the very day she was to be taken to her new home.
Her late teacher, who had learned of the plans, warned her and helped her escape what would have been a life of misery. Chegem continued her education and advanced to secondary school. However, tragedy struck in Senior Two. While collecting firewood in the Achegeretolim bushes, she and 19 other girls were ambushed by warriors. In a horrific attack, she witnessed 16 of her friends brutally killed and burned by the assailants.
Traumatized and weak, she returned home with three other survivors of the deadly attack. Chegem’s life has since remained a theatre filled with memories of the two incidents. Uncertain of what lies ahead of her life, Chegem decided that she would be the voice of other girls and women.
Immediately after completing her university education, Chegem joined the Karamoja Women Umbrella Organization (KAWUO), a women’s organization that advocates for women’s rights in the region. In KAWUO, Chegem, a project manager documents and follows cases where women have suffered violence to ensure that justice is served. Since 2021, the organization has recorded 2,992 cases of gender-based violence in the southern part of Karamoja.
Chegem says that more than half of the cases recorded have been taken to court while others were amicably resolved. The organization is also partnering with the district local government to formulate ordinances on child protection policy, education, alcoholism, and the environment.
Chegem isn’t alone in the struggle to protect girl-child and women from harsh cultural practices in Karamoja. Early December, Anna Lomonyang, a resident of Kangole Town Council in Napak District was declared the overall winner of the Human Rights Defenders Impact Awards 2024 in Uganda.
Lomonyang was awarded by the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Uganda for her outstanding effort in the human rights fight for the year 2024 during the commemoration of International Human Rights Defenders Day. The awarding team noted that Lomonyang’s effort on human rights advocacy and inclusion, extended to the protection of land rights in a region often plagued by land rights abuses.
She had become a fearless voice against injustices perpetrated by powerful individuals thus leading to peaceful campaigns to protect community land and empower women and marginalized groups. The women in the Karamoja region face several challenges, including violence and poverty which have kept them in disadvantaged positions amidst their role of providing for the family.
Besides the male dominance in decision-making and property ownership, the Karamoja women bear the responsibility of providing food and shelter in households.
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